


The Sweetest Gift

by queenbanshee, xtremeroswellian



Category: Smallville
Genre: Babies, Clark Kent is a bad friend, Clark Kent is a jerk, F/M, Forgiveness, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Guilt, JLA - Freeform, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Pregnancy, Protective Lois Lane, Protective Oliver Queen, Regrets, Slow Burn, Supportive Oliver Queen, Watchtower Chloe Sullivan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:14:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24121915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/queenbanshee, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: A year or so after the events of "Doomsday," Chloe Sullivan ends up in Star City to ask a favor from an old friend.
Relationships: Chloe Sullivan & Bart Allen, Chloe Sullivan & Lois Lane, Oliver Queen & Bart Allen, Oliver Queen & Chloe Sullivan, Oliver Queen/Chloe Sullivan, background Clark Kent/Lois Lane
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

She hadn’t been to Metropolis in over a year, since the day Jimmy had been murdered by Davis in front of her, she had kept in contact with Lois, mostly over email as she moved around the country, she didn’t want her cousin to worry, and she had been glad Lois understood she needed some time away from everything and everyone. 

But the lifestyle she’d chosen for herself wasn’t going to work anymore. She’d been skipping cities every three months or so, just working part-time in different places and doing her best not to create roots anywhere, but that got tiring quickly and now was the time for her to settle down again, for more reasons than one, and there was really just one person she could think of that would offer her the stability she needed without asking too many questions. 

And so she found herself in California instead, in Star City, to be specific. It had taken a little bit of research to find out where the team was working out of, but Oliver Queen wasn’t exactly hard to find and since she’d gotten there a little before two and wasn’t willing to wait until that night to see him, she just dropped her two suitcases off at a hotel room and made her way to the Queen towers, hoping he’d made it to work that day. 

“Can I help you?” A woman, probably pretty close to her age asked from behind the desk. 

“I’m here to see Oliver,” Chloe said politely, “Chloe Sullivan.” 

Without another word, the woman nodded and called into the office and Chloe relaxed a little, at least he was there and she wasn’t going to have to run around town trying to find where he was living in since he owned most of the city.

Less than fifteen seconds later, the door to Oliver’s office opened and he stared at her from the doorway, his eyes wide. “ _Chloe_?” His voice was hushed.

Chloe raised her eyebrows, surprised to see him there instead of being told to walk in, she tried for a smile, “hi.”

He stared at her for a long moment, holding his breath. “Come in,” he said, stepping out of the way.

“Thank you,” she told him, giving his assistant a smile before following him into his office, her heart beating fast against her chest.

Oliver was still staring at her as he shut the door behind them a moment later, leaning against it silently. 

Chloe stepped to the side and pursed her lips, looking at him for a moment, “I’m sorry to just show up like this, but I thought it might be better than a phone call.”

“Are you all right?” he asked, taking a step away from the door.

“Yeah,” she told him quietly, “are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said quickly, shaking his head a little. “I’m sorry, I’m just...surprised to see you here.” 

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, “I would have waited until you were off work but I wasn’t sure where you live now.”

Oliver shook his head a little. “No, it’s fine. No apology needed.” He held his breath for a moment, questions flooding into his mind. 

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” she told him quietly, she had just disappeared for a year and then showed up, apropos of nothing. 

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I do,” he admitted just as quietly. “But that doesn’t matter as long as you’re all right.” 

“I am,” she assured him, “and I didn’t mean to worry any of you, I thought you would have talked to Lois and she would have told you I was okay.”

Oliver swallowed at that, nodding. “So uh, what brings you to California?” he asked, motioning to the small sofa even as he moved to the fridge, grabbing two bottles of water out.

“Well,” Chloe took a deep breath as she sat down, “I’ve been moving around a lot in this past year,” she told him, “and I think I’m ready to settle down somewhere, but I’m not ready to go back to Metropolis yet.”

He paused at that, then turned to face her. “Right,” he murmured, not quite meeting her eyes. He moved over to sit down beside her, holding out one of the bottles. “So you’re thinking Star City is the place you want to be?” 

“Thank you,” she told him as she took the bottle then nodded, “yeah,” she said after a moment, “although I do have ulterior motives.”

He cocked his head to the side, watching her curiously. “Oh?” 

“I was hoping to resume my position with the team,” she told him, keeping her eyes on him, “if you haven’t found a replacement, that is.”

OIiver gazed at her, a faint, somewhat sad smile on his face. “You weren’t exactly an easy replacement.” 

Chloe paused, her expression becoming more guarded, “oh, so you found someone?”

He blinked. “No. I meant...you weren’t replaced because you couldn’t be.” 

“Oh,” she tried for a smile and took a deep breath, nodding, “sorry, I misunderstood you.”

He was silent for a few seconds, unscrewing the lid on his bottle of water and taking a drink. His entire body was tense, and he figured it was because it had been such a long time since they’d seen each other. “It’s all right,” he said softly.

She took a sip of her own bottle then shifted on the couch, “I’m sure you’re busy with work,” she said, “I should go and maybe we can talk about this some other time?”

“Wait.” He reached out without thinking, resting his hand on her arm. “I was planning to leave soon anyway. Let me just shut down my computer, and uh...maybe we could grab some dinner.” 

“Oh,” she blinked and nodded a little, “are you sure?”

He nodded, as well, offering her a small smile and rising to his feet. He headed away from the couch and moved to the computer desk silently.

Chloe took a deep breath and sipped on her water before standing too.

Oliver shut down his computer and grabbed the jacket of his suit off the back of his chair, slipping it on. “Ready?” 

“Yeah,” she said, placing the bottle over the coffee table, “you can tell me where the good places to eat are.”

He smiled faintly. “Well, what sounds good?” he asked, leading the way to the door.

She stepped out of his office once he opened the door and shook her head, “I’m not sure, do you know any good soup places?”

Oliver raised his eyebrows. “Soup places?” he echoed, glancing at her sideways. “You do know it’s like a hundred and ten outside today, right?” 

Chloe made a face and nodded, “right, I guess that wouldn’t be a very good choice,” she smiled a little, “I don’t know, do you have any suggestions?”

“Do you like Italian?” he asked, glancing at her sideways.

“Yeah,” she said, smiling a little, “it’s one of my favorites.”

He smiled, as well. “All right. I know a great place a few blocks from here. Did you drive?” 

Chloe shook her head as they stepped into the elevator, “no, I took a cab.”

Oliver nodded a little, resting a hand at the small of her back without thinking about it. “Well, that’ll make it easier for tonight.” 

“I’m not that far from here, actually,” she told him.

“You have a place already?” There was a hint of surprise in his tone.

‘Well, no,” she admitted, “I’m staying at a hotel for a couple of nights, I just got in today but I’ve been looking online and I have narrowed it down to a few places, I’ll go look at them tomorrow.”

“What hotel?” he asked curiously.

“The Holiday Inn on ninth?” She told him, arching her eyebrows.

He grimaced at that. “Yeah, let’s...get your stuff while we’re at it.” 

Chloe frowned at that and cocked her head, “why?”

Oliver leaned in closer to her. “Bart and I busted up a drug ring there last week. It’s...not the safest place in town.” 

She blinked a couple of times and raised her eyebrows then nodded, “in that case, I won’t argue.”

“Good. I have plenty of room,” he told her, straightening once more and ushering her off the elevator a moment later.

“Oh,” she shook her head, “Oliver, no, you don’t have to do that, I’m sure I can find someplace else to stay until I find something to rent, I didn’t come to Star City for that.”

“Chloe, it’s not a big deal,” he told her, shaking his head, as well. “It’ll help you save money til you find a place of your own, and like I said, there’s plenty of space.” 

“I don’t want to intrude in your life, Oliver,” she said, her voice quiet as they walked toward the exit, “we haven’t even seen each other in a long time.”

“It’s up to you,” he said softly. “You wouldn’t be intruding, but it’s your choice.” 

“Thank you for offering,” she said sincerely.

“Sure,” he murmured, nodding toward his car. 

Chloe took a deep breath and walked over to his car, glancing him out of the corner of her eyes but remaining silent.

He unlocked the doors and opened the passenger side door for her, not quite meeting her eyes even as he smiled faintly at her.

She tried for a smile too and slid into the car, sighing deeply once he closed the door and pursing her lips together before willing herself to relax as he opened his own door.

Oliver slowly moved around to the driver’s side and climbed in behind the wheel, glancing at her sideways. “Do you uh--do you wanna grab your stuff first? Or get some dinner?” 

“Would you mind eating first?” She asked quietly, raising her eyebrows at him.

“No, that’s fine,” he assured her. “I’m hungry anyway.” 

“Yeah, me too,” she told him, shifting on her seat, “different timezones.”

Oliver nodded slightly as he started the car. “Which timezone are you coming out of?” he asked quietly, focusing on the road ahead.

“Eastern,” she admitted, “New York.”

He nodded once more, falling silent as he drove them toward the restaurant, his stomach knotted. 

“How is everyone?” She asked after a long moment of silence.

“Okay,” he told her. “Bart and Vic are currently in Keystone. AC is off the coast of Maine at the moment.” 

“Are they working or is that where they are living now?”

“Working,” he answered, glancing at her sideways. “AC still lives in Florida, though he spends a lot of time between here and Gotham. Vic lives in Austin. Bart alternates between here and Central City.” 

“Oh,” she nodded then raised her eyebrows, “and Dinah?”

“Is the reason AC spends so much time in Gotham,” he admitted with a small smile.

Chloe cocked her head at that and arched her eyebrows curiously, “oh, are they...?”

Oliver nodded slightly. 

“Huh,” she murmured, looking out of the window, “I always thought she had a crush on you.”

He blinked at that and turned his head to look at her once more. “You did?” 

“Yeah,” Chloe admitted, glancing at him and smiling a little, “I guess I was wrong.”

Oliver smiled faintly and turned his attention back to the road, his knuckles tightening just a little on the wheel.

Chloe frowned a little at his reaction but didn’t say anything, her face falling slightly as she looked out of the window again, watching the city as he drove.

* * * 

Oliver took a drink of his wine, wishing it was something stronger as he watched Chloe finish up her dinner. “The food all right?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah,” she told him, leaning against her seat and sipping on her water, “it’s really good, I just don’t think I can eat this much.”

“We can get the rest to go,” he suggested. “Save it for later.” 

“Yeah,” Chloe nodded, smiling softly at him, “thank you.”

He returned her smile, relaxing a little as he nodded. “You’re welcome.” He finished off his drink and set it down on the table. Over the course of dinner they’d done a lot of small talk about nothing in particular: the weather, his day job, and of course, the food. But neither of them had broached the subject of anything from the past--and especially nothing from their mutual past. 

“Do you have work tonight?” She asked, knowing he would understand the question.

Oliver nodded a little. “Not until later, but yeah.” His voice was quiet.

Chloe nodded too, smiling a little, “when do you want me to start?”

“When are you available to start?” he responded, raising his eyebrows.

“Tonight,” she said sincerely, watching him closely. 

“Even if it’s just me working?” He watched her, as well.

“If you’re okay with it,” she told him, “it would be easier to get back into it with just one person to guide.

Oliver was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine with me.” 

Chloe relaxed a little at that and nodded, smiling at him then taking another sip of her water.

He watched her for a moment. “You know, it’ll be pretty late by the time we get done. You might as well stay at my place at least for the night.” 

She paused at that and raised her eyebrows, “you’re operating from there?”

Oliver nodded a little. “It’s been the most convenient place.” 

“Oh,” she nodded a little and considered for a moment, taking a deep breath, “are you sure?”

“About which part?” he asked uncertainly, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Me staying with you,” she said, looking down. It didn’t really make sense for her to leave his place at two or three in the morning just to sleep for five hours somewhere else and then have to leave there with all her things.

His chest tightened a little at the look on her face. “Seriously, Chloe. I don’t mind.” His voice was very quiet, and he hesitated before reaching across the table and resting his hand over hers.

Chloe raised her eyes to his hand covering hers then back to his face, she pursed her lips together and nodded a little, “just tonight.”

“All right,” he said quietly, nodding as he pulled his hand away.

She let out a breath and nodded softly, pulling her hand from the table, “I guess we should go grab my stuff, then?”

He nodded again. “Yeah.” He motioned for the waiter, handing over his credit card without hesitation.

Chloe shook her head a little, “you could have at least let me buy you dinner.”

A smirk twitched at his lips and he looked at her. “You haven’t forgotten that I’m a billionaire, right?” 

“No,” she said, shrugging and smiling a little, “but you haven’t forgotten that friends buy friends meals, especially when they are helping them out, have you?”

Oliver paused at the word _friends_ , a faint smile touching his mouth. “I’ll keep it mind for the future,” he promised.

“Thank you,” she told him, smiling a little more and relaxing that he hadn’t disagreed with the term.

He met her eyes and nodded, tucking the card back into his wallet when the waiter returned with it. “Let’s go get your stuff.” 

Chloe nodded as she stood up and reached for her purse, smiling at him then turning toward the door.

He smiled softly as he followed her toward the door, more relaxed than he had been since she’d walked into his office earlier that day.


	2. Chapter 2

Oliver stood on the rooftop of the Star City Gazette, staring out over the city as he did nearly every night. "You comfortable?" he asked over the comm device.

Chloe nodded, taking a deep breath and looking at the monitors in front of her in Oliver's ridiculously big secret room, it made the secret room she had at Isis look like a closet. "Yeah, I'm good," she told him, "still trying to get used to the new system."

"Don't tell me you didn't have a computer the entire time you were gone," he teased.

"Not one set up by Vic," she told him, arching her eyebrows, "this is great."

"Yeah, it is," he agreed.

"Things seem pretty quiet," she told him, watching the updates coming from the police scanners.

"It's not quite as busy as Metropolis most of the time," he responded.

Chloe considered that for a moment then took a deep breath, "why did you leave Metropolis?"

He was silent for a long moment. "It just wasn't where I wanted to be anymore."

She sighed softly and nodded a little, "I can relate to that."

"I know." His voice was so quiet the distorter didn't even pick it up.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you," she whispered to him, looking down, away from the monitors.

He winced, rubbing a hand over his face. "Chloe...don't," he said softly. "You don't owe me an apology."

"Yes, I do," she told him, her voice a little firmer now, "I've been meaning to apologize to you since before everything happened, you were right."

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly, sitting down on the roof and staring down at the road below. "It was a complicated situation."

"It was," she agreed, sighing softly, "but if we're starting over, I'd like to do things right, and apologizing to you is one of the things I wanted to do."

"I'm packing it in," he told her quietly. "It's quiet tonight. I'll be back soon."

"Oliver," she said quietly, "you don't have to come back."

"Yes. I do," he said softly. "I'll be there shortly."

She took a deep breath and rubbed her hands over her face then nodded a little, "okay."

Less than ten minutes later, he was climbing over the balcony railing and heading for the sliding glass doors, stepping inside. He'd already pushed his hood back, and he pulled his glasses off and set them on the desk, resting one gloved hand on her shoulder.

Chloe had heard him, she'd also watched the screen and saw as he moved closer, so she wasn't surprised when she felt his hand on her shoulder, "you didn't have to come back," she said again, reaching for the earpiece and pulling it out of her ear.

"Like I said, it was a quiet night," he said softly.

She sighed softly and turned her head up to look at him.

His chest tightened as he met her eyes. "You're not the only one who's sorry."

Her own chest tightened as she shook her head, "you have nothing to be sorry about."

"You're wrong about that." He shook his head, letting out a breath and dropping his hand from her shoulder. "I wasn't a good friend to you."

Chloe blinked and shook her head, "you were the only one strong enough to confront me," she told him, "the only one who managed to come up with a plan that actually worked. If it wasn't for you, he would still be alive. He could have hurt so many more people, Oliver..."

"I didn't trust your motives. I wouldn't even _listen_ to you, Chloe." He looked away.

"I'm glad you didn't," she told him, taking a step closer, "I was wrong, Oliver. I wanted to save Davis when there was nothing to save."

"You didn't know that," he said quietly. "And I should have given you the benefit of the doubt."

"No, you shouldn't have," she said firmly, "what happened to Jimmy could have happened to a lot more people if you had."

Oliver sighed softly. "I don't think we're going to agree on this one," he said quietly.

"No," she breathed, watching him, "I just needed to apologize to you and thank you."

His eyebrows furrowed a little as he lifted his gaze to meet hers once more. "Thank me?"

"For doing what you had to," she told him quietly.

He was silent for a moment. "I just wanted you to be all right."

She blinked, a little confused by the words then shook her head, "at least he's not out there anymore, that's all that matters."

Oliver nodded slightly, swallowing hard. "You know that...I didn't do that, Chloe."

"No," she told him, "if it had been for Clark, he wouldn't have done that on his own, he would have locked him in the Phantom Zone and he would have come back, I know he would have."

 _And maybe Jimmy would have lived_ , he thought, though he didn't voice it. He simply nodded a little.

Chloe sighed softly and nodded, "just know that I'm grateful for all you did and that I don't blame anyone but myself for what happened and without your help, I'd probably have died too and for no good at all."

"There's plenty of blame to go around, Chloe," he said softly. "But what's done is done. Try not to...beat yourself up anymore than you have been already."

Her eyes teared up a little and she looked down, taking a deep breath and nodding a little.

He winced, swallowing hard at the sight of her tears and hesitantly wrapping an arm around her. "It's okay," he whispered.

She leaned into him and rubbed her hands over her face, shaking her head a little.

"It's okay, Chloe," he murmured again, pulling her closer to him, gently.

Sniffing quietly, she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him without thinking about it.

Oliver swallowed hard again and slid his other arm around her, resting his head atop hers. He rubbed her back gently. "I'm glad you're here."

"I wasn't sure anyone else would want me around," she murmured against his shirt, "but I didn't think you would turn your back on me."

His arms tightened around her just a little. "I missed you," he admitted quietly.

Chloe sniffed again, her eyes bright and red as she lifted her head to look at him, "you did?"

His chest hurt from the pained, uncertain expression on her face. "Yeah. I uh--I wanted to look for you, but Lois..." He shook his head a little. "She told me to leave you alone."

"I didn't want to see anyone," she murmured, shaking her head, "I needed time, but I didn't mean to worry you." She started crying more again, "I'm sorry."

"Shh." He winced, hugging her once more. "I knew you were okay. Lois told me that much. I just...I missed you. That's all."

She leaned against him and sniffed, nodding a little, "I missed you too."

Oliver kissed the top of her head without thinking about it. "You want some tea?" he asked quietly.

Chloe nodded slightly and took a deep breath, "yeah," she whispered, tea sounded really good.

"Come on," he said softly, pulling away, but taking her hand. He led her into the large kitchen and motioned toward one of the high stools at the breakfast bar. "Make yourself comfortable." He pulled his leather gloves off and set them down on the counter before picking up the tea kettle and filling it with water before setting it on the stove.

She looked around the kitchen, the apartment was huge, it really looked more like a house than a penthouse, sniffing again, she took a seat on one of the chairs by the table and shook her head, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just dump everything on you."

"It's fine," he assured her, glancing over his shoulder at her. "That's what friends are for, right? To listen?"

With a deep, tired sigh, she nodded a little but kept her eyes on the table, "yeah."

Oliver studied her for a moment. "Chloe, are you...are you sure you're all right?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," she took a deep breath and rubbed her hands over her face, sitting up and trying to look more awake, "I'm okay."

"You're kind of pale," he told her, frowning.

"I'm just really tired," she told him, "flying in and everything."

He relaxed a little at that, nodding. "Right. That can really tire a person out," he said, moving over to stand across from where she was sitting.

Chloe let out a breath and nodded, "I'll probably take the tea and go to bed, if you don't mind."

"Oh. No, that's fine." He smiled faintly. "I should probably do the same."

She nodded a little and leaned against the chair, her eyes heavy, "yeah, it's late."

Oliver watched her, a hint of worry in his eyes. "It is."

Chloe frowned a little, "actually," she said, standing up, "I might just skip the tea, I should go lay down."

He held his breath at that. "Right. Okay. I'll uh--see you in the morning?"

"Yeah," she nodded, pursing her lips together, "thanks for letting me stay," she tried for a smile but didn't wait for an answer before quickly making her way down the hall.

He watched her go, and reached up to rub the back of his neck.

She was hiding something.

Something big.

And he wasn't sure he was ready to know what that might be.

* * *

He wasn't sure what had startled him out of the light state of sleep he'd found himself in on the sofa until he heard the second scream. A chill ran down his spine and he propelled himself off the couch, making a beeline toward the guest room that Chloe was staying in. He quickly flipped on the light, relieved when he didn't see someone attacking her. She was thrashing about in the bed, tangled up in the sheets. "Chloe!"

Her arms and legs were tangled in the sheets and she was muttering something as she shook her head, her eyes closed tightly.

All he could make out were the words "no" and "Davis." Swallowing hard, he sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out and gently resting a hand on her arm. " _Chloe_ , wake up."

Chloe jumped and sat up instantly, her eyes wide, her body covered in sweat and she moved away from him a second later, her eyes unfocused for a moment and then she blinked and focused on his face, swallowing hard.

"Easy," he murmured, taking in her pale face. "It's all right."

She stared at him for a moment, then started to take a deep breath before stilling and getting up as fast as she could and running toward the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Oliver sucked in a breath, rising to his feet, his stomach tightening as he heard her getting sick in the other room.

It was a while before Chloe came back out, her face still wet from washing it and brushing her teeth, her face still pale but not as much as before.

"Are you all right?" he asked, frowning deeply. Though clearly she wasn't.

"Yeah," she said quietly, walking over to the bed and sitting down heavily on it, "did I wake you?" She asked in a whisper.

"I wasn't really asleep." He hesitated before moving to sit beside her.

"I was having a nightmare," she whispered, rubbing her face tiredly.

"Yeah, I...assumed so," he admitted, glancing at her. "Have you been having a lot of those?"

Chloe shook her head a little, "not lately," she admitted, rubbing her hand over her throat.

"Do you think it's...because you're here?"

She took a deep breath and shrugged a little, "we were talking about it."

Oliver nodded slightly. "Do you uh--do you want to talk about it?"

Chloe shook her head a little and looked down at her lap, "there is no point talking about it, I just want to forget it. Move on."

He hesitated, but reached his hand out silently.

She blinked and looked down at his hand, pursing her lips together before hesitantly placing her hand in his.

Oliver gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Can I do anything?" His voice was quiet.

With a deep breath, she shook her head again, "I'm okay," she told him, "it's just been on my mind, I guess."

"All right. If you change your mind, I can listen, Chloe."

"Thank you," she whispered, looking down at their hands and squeezing his hand gently, "it was just a nightmare."

Nodding a little, he squeezed her hand in return once more. "You think you can go back to sleep?" He glanced toward the window where the sun was just starting to peek through the blinds.

"Yeah," she nodded a little, "I'm still tired."

Oliver smiled faintly and rose to his feet. "If you need anything, I'm just down the hall. Don't hesitate to ask, okay?"

"Thank you," she said again, "are you going to be able to sleep?"

"Yeah." He nodded, gazing down at her. "I'll be fine."

Nodding a little, she took a deep breath and tried for a smile then pulled the covers down and slid under them, "I'll see you in a few hours."

"Goodnight," he said softly, heading for the door.

"Night," she called, laying back down and falling asleep almost instantly.

Oliver rubbed a hand over his face as he stepped into his own bedroom directly across the hall from hers, leaving his door open and crawling onto his bed, sighing softly, his stomach in a knot. He had a bad feeling that he knew exactly what was going on with her.

He just hoped that he could help her.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a little after eleven when Chloe woke up the next morning, she showered and got dressed quickly, she hadn’t meant to sleep in that late, and she still had to go looking at all the apartments she had pre-selected.

The one good thing about this was that the apartment seemed completely quiet, which meant Oliver was probably not going to be there and she could avoid him for a while longer, she was extremely embarrassed about the previous night and the fact that she had woken him up with her stupid nightmares, not to mention her break down earlier. She just had to get out of there as quickly as possible so he wouldn’t be even more suspicious.

She was making her way out to the living room when movement caught her eye and she stilled. Oliver was doing a handstand, shirtless, covered in sweat. Even upside down, he looked amazing. She was trying to take her eyes off of him, but she didn’t seem to be able to, so she just stood there and stared.

After a long couple of moments, Oliver shifted, putting his feet on solid ground once more and picking up a towel. Not aware of her presence yet, he toweled the sweat off his chest and reached for his bottle of water. He took a long drink and sighed softly.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as she watched him, licking her dry lips, she shifted on her feet, "Oliver?" She called.

He turned quickly, surprised to see her standing only a few feet away. Not too many people could sneak up on him like that. "Oh. I didn't realize you were up."

"I just got up a little bit ago," she admitted, shifting the purse on her shoulder, "I thought you would be at work by now."

Oliver offered her a small smile. "It's Saturday."

"Oh," she nodded a little and took a deep breath before trying for a smile, "right."

"So, you're planning to look at some apartments today?" he asked, his own smile fading a little.

"Yeah," she nodded a little, "I should probably get started, I didn't mean to sleep in this late."

"Well, do you want some company?" he offered, raising his eyebrows. "I could help you get acquainted with the city."

She arched an eyebrow at that, a little surprised, "you don't have plans for today?"

Oliver shook his head a little. "Not really, no."

Chloe shrugged a little at that and smiled faintly, "if you are sure, then I wouldn't mind the company."

"Great. Just let me hit the shower and I'll be ready shortly," he told her. "There's cereal in the cabinet, or feel free to dial Bart and request some kind of breakfast from...well, wherever you want, actually. He's number one on my speed dial and I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you're back."

"I think I'll wait to start asking him to play delivery boy," she told him, smiling a little, "cereal sounds good."

He smiled and nodded. "There's milk and juice in the fridge, and coffee, of course." He headed down the hall to take a shower.

"Thank you," she told him, holding her breath as she watched him head away before making her way to the kitchen, she was starving.

* * *

Three hours later found them looking at the fifth apartment for the day. It was a little bigger than the previous four, and the neighborhood was much better than the others, as well. He found himself moving around, examining the window locks and light fixtures.

"The rent is five-fifty a month. Garbage and water are paid, but you'll of course, be covering all of the utilities," the woman told Chloe as she led her through the apartment.

Chloe nodded a little, glancing at Oliver before smiling at the woman, "it looks great, thank you."

At that moment, very loud rock music came blaring from the next apartment, literally _rattling_ the walls. Oliver's eyes widened a little at that and he turned to look at Chloe, raising his eyebrows.

She paused and arched an eyebrow, staring at the wall then glancing at Oliver too.

He shook his head a little, frowning.

"Thank you," Chloe told the woman a moment later and took a deep breath before starting toward the door.

Oliver walked with her, still frowning as they made their way outside. "Was that the last one?" he questioned, glancing at her sideways.

"The last one I had on my list," she told him, sighing softly.

"Good. Now just let me make a couple calls..." He pulled his phone out, dialed a number and pressed the device to his ear.

"Calls?" Chloe frowned, she had never had this hard a time to find an apartment before but he had found something wrong in each and every one of the ones they saw, if it wasn't with the area, it was with the apartment and she was a little more than frustrated at this point.

He held up a finger, flashing her a grin, and then turning away. "Tina, hey, it's Oliver." He paused. "I was wondering if that apartment is still available. I have a friend who'd like to look at it."

She arched an eyebrow and watched him closely, listening to the conversation.

"Great. We'll be over shortly. Thank you." He hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket, turning to her once more.

"What was that?" She asked.

"We looked at all the apartments on your list. Now we're going to look at a couple on mine." He grinned at her.

"You have a list?" She asked, frowning a little more and shaking her head, she had the feeling that whatever he had in mind, she couldn't afford.

"Well, just two actually," he told her, shrugging. "Come on." He headed toward his car.

Chloe took a deep breath and followed him, "what kind of apartments are they?"

"Great ones in a great neighborhood." He opened her car door for her, then made his way to his own, crawling into the car.

She arched an eyebrow at that, "and the prices are billionaire friendly I assume?"

"Oh ye of little faith." He rolled his eyes.

Chloe smiled a little at that and shook her head, "I'm still looking at them, aren't I?"

He smirked. "Well, I am the one driving." He started the car.

"And if I hadn't agreed you would have just dragged me to your car kicking and screaming?" She smirked.

"Would've made for an interesting headline in tomorrow's Gazette," he teased, glancing at her sideways.

"Billionaire drags poor innocent girl against her will?" She suggested, leaning back against her seat.

He chuckled. "My board would just _love_ that." He turned the car onto the next street, heading them back toward the end of town he lived on.

"Well, there are a lot of rumors about you out there as is, you could always pretend it's not true." She pointed out.

"True." He nodded a little. "Wouldn't be the first time, sure it wouldn't have been the last. But thanks for coming along without argument anyway."

"Well, you did drive me around all day, it's the least I can do," she told him.

"Ah, and _there_ we have tomorrow's headline. Oliver Queen: Chauffere," he teased.

Chloe laughed softly and nodded, looking out the window, "that one is the truth, at least."

He smiled at the sound of her laughter. "What do you think of Star City so far?" he asked.

"It's really nice," she told him, "really hot, but that will get better, right?"

Oliver nodded slightly. "August is the hottest month, generally," he told her. "It'll get better next month, but the really good news is, it never snows here."

Chloe nodded at that too, "that is good news, I would rather be hot than cold."

"I think you'll like it here then." He smiled a bit. "Year-round beach weather definitely has its advantages." He pulled his car into a parking lot right across the street from his apartment building.

"When you have the beach right here," she agreed, "we had some pretty horrible heat waves in Kansas and no way to cool ourselves."

Oliver nodded a little. "Well, you won't have that problem here." He opened his car door and climbed out.

Chloe stilled when she saw the building out of the window of the car. It had a doorman, it looked like a five star hotel and as she expected, way out of her budget. Her good mood vanished instantly and she sighed deeply, shaking her head and stepping out of the car with a frown.

A smile twitched at his mouth, but he suppressed it. He knew there was no way she was going to agree to the apartment he was about to show her, which was exactly what he was planning on. "Twenty-four hour security," he told her, nodding at the door man as the guy held the door open for them. He didn't dare venture a glance at her yet.

Her eyes narrowed as she followed him into the building, "sounds lovely," her voice was icy.

"And it's right across the street from _my_ building," he added, ignoring her tone.

"Is there a particular reason why you're wasting my time with this place?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Why, exactly, do you consider this a waste of time?"

"Because rent at a place like this won't go for less than a couple grand a month at least, Oliver." She said tightly, "but you're not stupid and I'm sure you realize that."

"All right. Well there is one other place in this neighborhood that offers a great deal on rent. Would you rather skip this tour and take that one?"

Chloe forced herself to take a deep breath and rolled her eyes, "yes."

He suppressed another smile, reaching out and resting his hand at the small of her back. "It's even within walking distance," he told her as they headed outside once more, sending Tina a text to let her know they weren't going to make the apartment showing.

She kept her arms crossed over her chest as they walked out of the building, it was bad enough that none of the other five had worked, she had to go back and do more research and by the looks of it, she was going to have to spend yet another night at his place, but the fact that he was obviously aware that this wasn't even an option and still insisted on bringing her over was just serving to annoy her more.

Oliver guided her across the street...

...and right to the building he lived in, glancing at her sideways and noting her pissed off expression. "Well, this is the building," he informed her.

Chloe simply stared at him, "the building you own." She said, her jaw tight.

He nodded a little, a smile tugging at his mouth. "Come on. It's a great apartment," he told her, holding the door open for her.

"I'm _not_ your charity case, Oliver." Her voice was low but firm and filled with anger, her arms were crossed tightly around her chest as he hands turned into fists, "the only reason I came to Star City was because I missed the job, not so you could take care of me or whatever the hell this is because you still feel guilty over what happened even though you have _no_ reason to be, so if this is what it's going to be like, you better let me know now so I can pack up and find somewhere else to go."

His smile faded as she went on and he shook his head a little. "When have I _ever_ treated you like you were a _charity_ case, Chloe?" His jaw tightened just a little.

"It's exactly what you're doing right now." She said tightly, her chest tight as her eyes teared up with anger.

"Actually, it's not," he said shortly, narrowing his eyes at her. "FYI, Vic and AC share an apartment here, and Bart has his own apartment in the building, as well. I bought the entire building so if and when our secret club expands, everyone has a safe place. But I didn't figure you'd even hear me out without at least looking at a few other places first, which is _why_ I didn't say anything about it before."

"So you thought just dragging me around all over town with every intention of just shooting down every single place we looked at was going to be what? Entertaining?" She demanded.

Oliver flinched a little at that. "There were _valid_ reasons to shoot down all those places, Chloe!"

"Some of us aren't used to living like you are, Oliver, some of us have to have realistic expectations!" She said angrily, her voice cracking.

He stared at her, actual hurt reflected in his eyes. "Fine," he said flatly. "Do whatever you want." He shook his head and headed into the building without looking back at her.

Chloe stared at him and shook her head, swallowing hard and brushing the tears from her face angrily as she turned around and walked in the opposite direction and out of the building.


	4. Chapter 4

A few hours later, Chloe made her way back to Oliver's apartment. All of her things were still there and although she had looked at a couple more places that she had found on the newspaper, she hadn't really been comfortable with either of them. When the sun started to set, she made her way back to his neighborhood but just sat down on the beach for a while, not really ready to face him, but the heat, even at night was too much for her and since she hadn't had any luck on finding a place, she was probably going to have to spend another night there.

Probably, depending on how it went when she actually got upstairs because although she didn't want to put herself in danger, she also didn't want to stay if he was still mad at her, not that she could blame him if he was anyway.

She entered the elevator and waited as it made its way up, she knew it would let him know someone was trying to get to his floor and that she would need him to buzz her in, but that was a good thing, at least he'd be ready for her.

Oliver sat on his sofa, watching the security monitor on the drop-down screen in front of him. At least he wasn't going to have to go out looking for her, which he was grateful for. She looked nervous, and he sighed softly, rubbing a hand over his face and picking up his glass of scotch and taking a drink. He buzzed her in before she could even press the button. Then he rose to his feet, moving over to the front door and opening it silently as he waited.

Chloe wanted to rub her hands over her face to try and relax her features a little, but she knew he was watching her, so she just took a deep breath and let it out slowly, she had no idea what to expect, she and Oliver had had worse arguments before, about much more serious subjects, but this felt harder than that.

When the elevator doors slid open, she pursed her lips together and stepped into the apartment, not surprised to find him standing there, looking at her.

"Hey," he said quietly, gazing at her, holding his breath.

"Hi," she murmured, looking at him before looking down, her stomach tight, "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Me too," he told her. He stepped aside to let her in, then shut the door quietly behind them. "I honestly wasn't trying to offend or upset you, Chloe."

"I know," she said, this time not stopping herself from rubbing her hands over her face tiredly, "you're trying to help."

"I'm not offering anything to you that the rest of the team isn't already benefiting from." He paused. "Zatanna's here even less, but she has an apartment here for when she's in town, too." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the floor for a moment. "I just look at it like a League benefit."

Her chest tightened even more at that and she nodded a little, "I'm just trying really hard to stand on my own two feet right now and I really don't want you to feel responsible for me or like you have to help me with anything," she admitted, still not looking at him as her eyes got warm again.

Oliver held his breath. "Truthfully, Chloe, I'm going to feel responsible for you and your safety regardless of where you move to," he told her. "The same way I feel responsible for the rest of the team when they're here. Or when I send them on a mission. It just sorta...comes with the territory." He was quiet for a moment. "But I do get what you're saying. So if you really don't want to stay here, I won't argue anymore."

"If this is a thing everyone else has too and this is the safest place in the city, it makes sense," she told him quietly, it was hard to swallow her pride but she had no room to be stubborn right now.

He nodded just a little. "Do you wanna see it?"

Chloe took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around herself then nodded slightly, finally lifting her head to look at him.

Oliver met her eyes and offered her a small smile. "Come on," he said gently, offering her his arm and moving toward the door once more.

She hesitated before taking his arm and took a deep breath before walking with him to the elevator.

"It's just the next floor down," he told her, pulling the keys out of his pocket. "It's already furnished, but if you want to change anything, that's up to you." He glanced at her sideways and pressed the button for the floor below them.

"You just had all of the floor furnished?" She asked, unable to stop herself.

"The whole building, actually."

"Oh," Chloe said, blinking as she looked at the numbers on the elevator panel before the doors opened a second later.

He shrugged a little. "I figure it's a hopeful investment." He led her off the elevator and down the hall, unlocking one of the apartment doors and moving aside to let her in.

She stepped inside and held her breath, the apartment was as big as his, the only difference was that since this one wasn't on the top floor, it didn't have the high ceilings, but it had just as many windows facing the ocean and she guessed three bedrooms as well.

Oliver stepped inside behind her, shutting the door and flipping on the lights as he walked through the apartment. "What do you think?"

"This is really amazing," she said quietly, looking around, the fact that the apartment was meticulously decorated in shades of oranges and reds made her wonder if he had decorated it with her in mind.

"Glad you like it," he said just as quietly.

She hesitantly started further into the apartment, looking at the living room, then at the kitchen/dining room area, "whose apartment is under this one?"

"No one's at this point." He watched her intently. "All of the floors under this are currently empty. The others all live on this floor, too, when they're here."

"Oh," Chloe nodded a little, "it's a huge apartment."

Oliver nodded, as well. "You think you'll be all right here?"

She pursed her lips and looked around a little, her eyes tearing up again as she kept her back to him, "yeah," she said quietly, or at least she really hoped so.

"Good," he said softly, nodding a little. "Of course everything's very secure. Alarm systems and everything. Earthquake-proof." He shrugged a little.

"Right," she took a deep breath and brushed her hand over her face, "never been through one of those before, not a real one anyway."

"But you've lived through tornadoes and blizzards, right? At least we mostly only have to worry about the earth shaking here," he teased.

"Yeah," she tried for a smile as she turned to face him again, "I guess one is better than two."

Oliver gazed at her. "Are you all right, Chloe?" His voice was soft. "Really?"

Chloe took a deep breath and nodded a little, "yeah," she paused then let her breath out slowly, "just trying to get settled."

"Okay," he murmured.

"I should go get my things," she said quietly.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't suppose you'd want to have dinner first?"

Her face softened at that and she nodded, "can I buy?"

Oliver smiled faintly. "If you insist." His voice was light.

"I do," she said quietly, trying for a smile too.

He nodded slightly, winking at her and heading for the door.

Her stomach clenched a little as she watched him and before she knew what she was doing, she reached for his arm to stop him, "Ollie, wait."

Oliver paused and turned to face her once more, holding his breath. "Yeah?"

Without giving it a second thought, she walked closer and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she pressed her cheek against his chest, "thank you."

He was a little caught off guard at first, but he hugged her back gently. "You're welcome," he murmured. She had no idea how much.

Chloe relaxed a little and closed her eyes just for a moment before pulling back and smiling softly at him, "what do you feel like having?"

He smiled back, relaxing a little, as well. "Whatever sounds good. I'm not that picky."

"Pizza?" She suggested, raising her eyebrows a little.

He grinned. "Perfect."

"I guess you need to tell me what places are good in the neighborhood," she told him, smiling a little as she started back toward the elevator.

"I'm a step ahead of you, Watchtower," he informed her, smiling. "There's a folder of menus in the desk of every restaurant in the city."

Chloe stared at him for a moment then shook her head, "how long have you had this place ready for?"

"Since shortly after I came back," he admitted as they stepped onto the elevator once more.

"Who else usually stays here?" She asked curiously, leaning back against the elevator wall.

"Usually it's just me," he told her, shrugging a little. "Unless we're planning for a mission of some kind."

Chloe took a deep breath and looked down, "what do you think they will say when they hear I'm back?"

Oliver glanced at her, hesitantly wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I think they'll say 'welcome back.'"

She smiled a little at that and nodded, looking up at him, "I hope so."

"I know so," he said quietly, nodding.

Nodding a little, she took a deep breath and pursed her lips together, "did you talk to Lois?"

He hesitated, then shook his head. "No. I figured that should be your business."

"I usually let her know when I get someplace new," Chloe admitted, "I should call her soon."

"I'm sure she'll like that," he said quietly.

"How often do you two talk?" She asked just as quietly, standing up straight when the elevator stopped.

Oliver stepped off the elevator when the doors opened. "We email once in awhile."

"That's good," she said quietly, "have you been talking to Clark?"

His jaw tightened involuntarily. "No."

Chloe raised her eyebrows a little at his reaction and nodded, "I'm guessing you didn't really part on good terms?"

"That's a bit of an understatement," he told her.

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "It's a long story," he said softly, opening the door to his apartment.

Chloe pursed her lips together and nodded a little but didn't ask anything else.

"I'll tell you all about it. Just...not right now." His voice was quiet as he led her into his apartment.

"It's okay," she said sincerely, "some things aren't easy to talk about."

He turned to look at her, nodding a little. "No, they're not," he agreed, watching her.

She gave him a small smile then stepped forward, toward the desk he had mentioned the menus would be on.

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "What do you want to drink?" he asked, heading for the kitchen.

"Water is okay," she told him, finding the pile of menus easily and starting to go through them.

"All right." Chewing the inside of his cheek, he filled one glass up with ice and water, and poured himself another glass of scotch.

"Which pizza place do you recommend?" She asked, eyes still on the menus, there were a lot of them.

"Little Italy's is pretty good," he told her, taking a drink, then heading into the other room, carrying her water glass.

Chloe looked back at the pile she had already gone over and pulled that one menu out, "any preferences?"

Oliver shook his head. "Like I said, I'm not too picky."

"Well," she shifted a little, "what do you like?"

"I generally go with everything, except for anchovies." He smiled a bit. "And that's not a nod to AC, I just think they're gross."

Chloe smiled a little and nodded, "do you like meat on your pizza? Pepperoni? Sausage?"

"Both are fine," he told her, nodding.

"Okay," she smiled a little and reached for the phone in her purse, which was still hanging from her shoulder then dialed the number on the menu.

Oliver moved over to sit down on the sofa, letting out a breath.

"What are you having?" She asked once she hung up and went to join him.

"Scotch," he admitted, holding up his glass.

Chloe nodded a little and sat down on the opposite end, picking up her water and sipping on it, "they said thirty to forty-five minutes."

"Cool." He glanced over at her.

She took a deep breath and nodded a little, leaning back and resting her glass over her lap as she relaxed.

"You seem tired," he said softly. "I'm sorry I dragged you all over town today."

"Don't apologize," she said quietly, glancing at him, "you did all the hard work anyway."

"Hanging out with you's hardly hard work, Chloe."

Her face softened at that and she shook her head a little, "I meant the driving."

"Oh." He smiled a little. "Well, that's not a big deal either."

"Still, thank you for taking the time to go with me."

Oliver nodded a little. "You're welcome." He finished off his drink and set the empty glass on the coffee table.

Chloe looked at the glass for a second but didn't say anything, "so what do you normally do when you're not working either job?"

He glanced at her sideways and shrugged a little. "The usual. Work-out, eat."

She nodded a little and took a deep breath, "I just don't want to get in the way of your schedule."

"You're fine, Chloe," he said quietly. "Don't worry about me."

"Well, that comes with my job title, Ollie," she said, looking back down at her glass and sipping on it again.

A smile tugged at his mouth and he nodded. "I just meant I'm all right."

Chloe nodded a little and smiled faintly at him, "good to know."

Oliver leaned his head back against the sofa. "How've you been?" he asked quietly.

She took a deep breath and nodded slightly, she knew it was coming, "I've been okay."

"Yeah?" His voice was soft.

"Yeah," she said quietly, looking down at her glass, "I think it will get better now."

He reached out and rested a hand lightly on her arm, silent.

Chloe held her breath and looked down at his hand then over at him.

Oliver gave her arm a gentle squeeze before pulling away.

She sighed softly then smiled a little at him, nodding, "thank you."

He simply nodded at her. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back," she said, leaning her head against the back of the couch and closing her eyes.

He watched her, holding his breath for a moment. He couldn't help but wonder if being around him was going to make things worse for her.


	5. Chapter 5

Oliver stepped off the elevator, heading down the hall toward Chloe's apartment a few nights later. She wasn't expecting him, and he wasn't even sure she hadn't had dinner already. It was nearly seven, after all. But he'd had a long day at the office, and he was hungry and hoping she was at least up for a little company.

Chloe sighed softly against the phone and shook her head, she was sitting by the dining room table, laptop in front of her, "I know, Lo. I know he would, but I'm not ready."

He knocked lightly on the door, hearing her voice inside. At least he knew for sure she was home.

She didn't hear the knock, rubbing her hand against her face, "no, you don't have to do that either, maybe later, when it starts to get worse."

Oliver's eyebrows furrowed a little as he overheard her words, pausing as he realized she hadn't heard him knocking.

Chloe nodded a little, her shoulders hunching, "yes, I'm taking care of myself, I know my limits, you don't have to worry about that."

His frown deepened, worry settling in his chest once more.

"I know," she whispered, her voice thicker now, "I know, I love you too. Yeah, I'll talk to you soon. Bye." She said quietly before hanging up. She placed the phone over the table and leaned her face against both her hands, sniffing quietly.

Swallowing hard, he reached out and knocked, this time more loudly.

Chloe jumped and stood up, her eyes wide and red as she turned toward the door.

"Chloe? Are you all right?" he asked through the door.

She rubbed her face and wiped it with her sleeves, clearing her throat and nodding, "yeah, come in."

Oliver turned the door knob and stepped inside, looking at her worriedly. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," she sniffed and tried for a smile, "yeah, sorry I didn't hear you, I was talking to Lois."

He bit his lip, nodding a little. "I uh--I brought Chinese. I wasn't sure if you'd eaten or not."

"Oh," she shook her head a little and turned to her computer to look at the clock, "no, I didn't realize it was past seven already since it's still so sunny outside."

Oliver smiled a bit. "Is this okay?" He lifted the bags up. "I got a variety, I wasn't sure what you liked."

"Yeah," she assured him, closing her laptop and pushing it aside to make room on the table, "anything with noodles or fried rice works for me."

"Oh good. Got both of those, too." He smiled a little and moved over to the table, setting down the bags.

Chloe smiled softly at him and nodded, "what do you want to drink?"

"Water's fine," he told her, pulling the containers out of the sacks.

She nodded and stepped into the kitchen, coming back a second later with two glasses of ice water, "thank you for bringing dinner," she told him as she set the glasses on the table. They had been eating most of the meals together, it had kind of become a pattern for them.

"You're welcome." He smiled faintly as he sat down across from her, picking up the glass and taking a sip.

Chloe picked up one of the boxes and looked inside of it, raising her eyebrows, "chicken lo mein is my favorite," she told him, smiling softly.

Oliver grinned. "Guess I did good then." He picked up one of the boxes of egg rolls, pulling one out and setting it on his napkin.

"You did," she agreed, taking a bite of it, "by the way, Bart replied to the message you sent this morning, he said he's available whenever."

"Great." He took a bite of the egg roll, leaning back in his chair. "He'll be pleasantly surprised when he gets here and finds out you're here."

"That's why I didn't reply," she told him, "I wasn't sure you had told him or not."

"Would you rather me tell him ahead of time?" He took a drink.

"I don't mind either way," she told him, "I think Bart will be pretty easy going."

"He will," Oliver assured her.

"I look forward to seeing them," she admitted, looking down at the food.

He smiled faintly, nodding a little. "How's Lois?"

"She's doing okay," Chloe answered between bites, "she and Clark are... working things out, apparently."

Oliver raised his eyebrows a little as he watched her eating. "That's good I guess," he said vaguely.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, "but whatever makes her happy right now."

"Is something wrong?" he questioned, frowning a little.

Chloe paused and looked at him, holding her breath then shaking her head, "no, but you know how Clark can be, and she doesn't know the truth, I don't want him to hurt her or put her in danger."

He studied her, nodding a little. "Right," he murmured, taking another bite.

"Sorry," she said quietly, "I didn't mean to bring him up."

Oliver shook his head. "You don't need to apologize, Chloe."

She took a deep breath and nodded a little, returning to her food for a moment before looking at him again, "when are you going to ask Bart to come by?"

"This weekend work for you?"

"Whenever is better for you," she told him, reaching for an eggroll, "I'm not the one with two jobs."

"Well, during the weekend I'm generally down to just one."

"True," she told him, smiling a little, "that works for me."

"Good." He smiled back and took a drink. "Did you do anything exciting today?"

"No, not really," she told him, looking down at her food, "the usual, just worked on some research."

Oliver's smile faded just a little. "You know, you can go out and do things besides work," he said gently.

"I know," she told him quietly, "but it's too hot for sight-seeing."

His chest tightened and he nodded, looking down at his food.

Chloe took a deep breath and looked at him, "what about you? How was your day?"

He glanced up again, sipping his water. "All right. The usual. Dull meeting after dull meeting."

She nodded a little and looked back down at the mostly empty container, "I'm sorry."

"Not a big deal," he assured her, taking note of how quickly she'd finished her dinner. How quickly she'd been finishing _all_ of her meals, actually. A frown began to form on his face as he wondered how long it had been since she'd been eating on a regular basis. It made his stomach hurt to think about. "Want an egg roll?"

"I already had one, thank you." She told him, picking up her water and sipping on it.

He nodded a little, studying her. Come to think of it, she was skinnier than he remembered. Not that she had been overweight before, but she'd always looked healthy. And she was still so pale. Had she always been that pale? he wondered.

Chloe took a deep breath and leaned back against her chair, setting her glass back down on the table.

"You wanna come up and watch a movie or something?" he offered.

She raised her eyebrows a little at the offer and nodded, "yeah," she smiled a little, "sounds nice."

He smiled back. "Great. I'll even let you pick the movie." He winked at her and rose to his feet, beginning to clear the empty containers from the table.

Pursing her lips together, she nodded and stood up too, helping him, "I'll have to see what you have."

"Movies on Demand," he told her, storing the leftovers in her fridge. "So pretty much whatever you want to watch."

"Nice," she told him, watching him then pausing, "make sure you take some, you brought enough to feed the entire team, including Bart."

An amused smile tugged at his mouth. "Maybe the entire team _minus_ Bart."

"Well, a snack for Bart." She told him, smiling softly.

He chuckled a little. "Or an appetizer."

"That works too," she agreed, placing a couple of the containers back in a plastic bag for him.

Oliver took the bag from her. "Are you ready now or do you have other things to do?"

Chloe glanced toward the hallway and pursed her lips together, "I'll be up in about five minutes?" She offered.

"Sounds good." He nodded, offering her a smile and heading for the door. "I'll pop some popcorn."

"I'll be right up," she told him, smiling softly at him then heading down the hall.

He watched her head away, then moved toward the elevator. He needed to find a way to get her to trust him enough to open up to him.

Because he wasn't going to be able to help her if she didn't.

* * *

She had been lying to him.

He'd been going over the building's surveillance footage from the past week when he'd spotted her leaving three times and not returning for a couple of hours each time.

Obviously she wasn't ready to tell him about what had happened, though he had a sickening feeling he already knew. Each time the thoughts crept up on him, he had to push them away because it was too much for him to stomach for long. The pieces were there. The nightmares she'd had her first night in the city, the way she had taken off without a word to any of them but Lois, how frail she looked.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he made his way across the street, staying far enough back from where she was that she wouldn't notice that he was following her. He'd been following her for several blocks now, and the breath caught in his throat as he realized where she was heading.

Oliver watched as she stepped into the Star City General Hospital without looking back.

Maybe he'd been wrong after all.

Maybe she hadn't been _attacked_.

Maybe she was _sick_.

It was about forty-five minutes later when Chloe stepped back out, her face pale as she started her way back to the apartment, it was still hot outside, and it only seemed to be getting hotter. She ran her fingers over her hair and sighed, she looked around the parking lot for a moment then, slowly started to cross it in the right direction, looking around as she did.

Oliver watched her from about half a block down where he'd planted himself on a bench, keeping his eyes on the door until she'd come out. Drawing in a breath, he let it out slowly and rose to his feet, starting to follow her once more. He rubbed the back of his neck, his chest tight. He wondered what kind of treatment or tests she could be having done so frequently.

She walked as fast as she could, but when she was about a block away from the apartment, she really couldn't make it anymore, she stepped into a convenience store, coming out a few moments later with a large bottle of water, which was already half empty and pressing it against her cheek and neck as she resumed walking.

He couldn't take it anymore. He jogged the short distance he'd maintained between them and caught up to her. "Hey."

Chloe blinked and stilled when she recognized his voice, her eyes wide as she turned around to face him.

"Sorry. I didn't...mean to startle you." His voice was quiet.

She swallowed hard and shook her head a little, "what are you doing here?"

Oliver hesitated a moment. "I followed you," he admitted softly.

Chloe stopped at that and shook her head, " _what_?"

He lifted a hand up. "Before you get pissed and start yelling...I just want you to know that whatever it is, I can have the best doctors flown in by tomorrow morning." His chest tightened. "I know following you wasn't the best way to..." He sighed and looked at the ground, then shut his eyes. "You don't have to hide it from me, Chloe. I care about you."

Her eyes widened and she took a step back, shaking her head at him, "I don't need your doctors, Oliver, I don't need your or anyone else's help, I'm handling this on my own." She said tightly, her chest painfully tight as she turned around and picked up the pace toward the apartment, her head spinning as she clenched the bottle in her hand.

Oliver followed her quickly, his stomach knotting. "You don't have to go through this alone," he told her, shaking his head.

"Yes, I do," she muttered, picking up the pace, her legs feeling weaker the more that she pushed, but she was almost there.

"Why?" he asked, his voice pained as he caught up with her once more. "Why, Chloe?"

She stopped walking, her eyes teary as she looked at him with her jaw tight, she was trying hard not to lean back against the wall for the building they were standing in front of, "you don't even know what is going on, do you?"

"Not specifics, no. But it must be something pretty bad if it requires trips to the hospital every couple of days." His eyes were filled with worry. "Whatever it is, Chloe, you can tell me."

"I was planning on it," she said tightly, her voice cracking, "but you had _no_ right to follow me like that."

"Are you dying?" he whispered.

Chloe's eyes widened, but before she could answer, she covered her mouth and turned around, rushing into the building and into the bathroom Oliver had on the main floor.

He stared after her, his chest tight. "Shit," he whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

She had heard his footsteps outside the bathroom, but she took her time, mostly because she didn't feel like she could get up for a long moment, but partially because she knew there was no hiding anymore. It was only a matter of time before he found out the truth anyway, and it looked like he wasn't going to give up so easily.

After washing her face and with a deep breath, feeling a little better now, she opened the door slowly, expecting to see him standing outside of it.

He leaned back against the wall across the hallway from the bathroom, his eyes downcast, his face pale.

Chloe sighed softly and looked at him for a moment then shook her head, "I'm not dying," she said quietly.

He looked up quickly, confusion flickering over his expression. "You're not?"

"The opposite, actually," she pursed her lips together, her chest tight as she stepped forward, "I'm pregnant," she whispered quietly, studying him closely.

Oliver blinked, then stared at her for a moment. "Pregnant," he echoed.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly then nodded, looking away and chewing on her bottom lip, the only other person she had told had been Lois.

"You're not sick?"

"No," she told him, sighing softly, "according to the doctor everything is fine."

He let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "Thank God."

Chloe stilled at that and blinked a couple of times, surprised.

He rubbed his hands over his face. "I knew something was going on," he told her, not noticing her shocked expression. "I just wasn't sure _what_."

She stared at him for a moment then sighed, leaning against the wall directly across from where he was, "I didn't mean to worry you," she admitted quietly, "I didn't want to tell anyone because I wasn't sure I was going to keep it." Chloe confessed, her voice cracking as she did.

"Oh," he said quietly, looking up at her once more. "Are you sure now?"

Nodding a little, she pursed her lips together and didn't lift her head.

"Chloe." His voice was soft.

"It would be the smart thing to do," she whispered, "but I couldn't-- I can't."

"It's okay," he whispered, shaking his head and pushing himself away from the wall.

Chloe held her breath and lifted her head slowly to look at him, "this is why I said I don't want you to feel responsible, or like you have to help me with anything."

Oliver gazed at her, feeling considerably better knowing that she wasn't sick or _dying_. "I thought friends helped each other because they wanted to," he said gently.

She sighed softly and nodded, "but there is still a lot I have to figure out on my own."

He nodded, as well, reaching out and laying a hand on her shoulder. "Just know you also have a friendly ear to listen whenever you need it."

"Thank you," she told him quietly, looking up at him again.

"I'm sorry I followed you," he whispered, real guilt in his eyes.

Chloe pursed her lips and nodded a little, "what made you think it was that bad?"

He was silent for a moment. "It started when you first got here, with the nightmare that you had," he admitted quietly. "Actually I had a lot of other explanations for things, but..." He shook his head. "Let's just say I'm really glad I was wrong."

She frowned a little at that and nodded but didn't ask anything, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the other explanations, "there's nothing wrong." She assured him.

"Good," he said quietly, letting out a breath.

"Should we get upstairs?" She asked quietly, really tired after all of... that. Whatever it was.

Oliver nodded a little, reluctantly pulling his hand away from her shoulder and slowly heading toward the elevator.

Chloe sighed softly and rubbed her hands over her face then nodded a little to herself, as long as Oliver understood she hadn't come back to lean on him but because she wanted a more stable environment and to be around someone who wouldn't judge her like she knew Clark would, things would hopefully work out okay. She would just have to explain all that to him when her mind was clearer.

* * *

It had been two days since he'd found out what Chloe had really been up to. Two days since she'd told him she was pregnant. And things between them had been strained ever since. They'd still had dinner together, but the meals had been silent, and short. Patrols had also been lacking the usual banter over the comm device, and Oliver knew that it was his fault.

He'd spent his days at the office, unable to concentrate well because he was trying to figure out a way to make it up to her. Which was what led him to her apartment door step that evening, a gift bag in his hands. He knocked quietly, looking down at the floor.

Chloe actually heard the knock this time and since she knew there was only a handful of people that had access to the floor without needing to be buzzed in and only one that was in town, she didn't hesitate before opening the door, it was a little later than the usual time when Oliver got back from work, but since she hadn't heard from him today yet, she guessed it was him and she had been right.

"Hey," she said quietly, smiling softly and stepping aside to make room for him to come in, she'd been feeling a lot lighter since he had found out the truth, but she was still worried about him, he was obviously hiding something too and although she didn't want to force it out of him, the way he'd been shutting down more and more lately made her feel like she was going to have to.

"Hi," he said just as softly, stepping into the apartment. He took a breath and held up the shiny green gift bag, holding it out to her silently.

She blinked, only then noticing the bag. She reached out for it, raising her eyebrows and with a confused expression on her face, "what is this?"

"Just a small gift," he said quietly, offering her a hesitant smile. He just hoped she wouldn't throw it back in his face. 

Chloe looked at him for a moment then walked over to the table, placing the bag on it then opening it, frowning a little in confusion as she couldn't make out what was inside then pulling out a mobile that was shaped like a tree, it had baby animals hanging from it and the words 'baby Sullivan' engraved on the top part. Her chest clenched as she looked at it, she hadn't bought anything yet because that would have made it all more real and that was exactly what this did.

She swallowed hard as she looked down at the mobile and nodded a little, "thank you," she murmured, "you didn't have to do that."

"I know. I just...I wanted to do something to show you that I support the decision you've made," he whispered.

Her chest tightened even more as she turned to look at him, swallowing hard, "thank you."

Oliver met her eyes and smiled faintly. "You're welcome." He took a hesitant step toward her. "Chloe, I'm sorry." His voice was almost inaudible.

She placed the mobile back on the table and frowned a little, shaking her head, "what for?"

"Because I haven't been a very good friend to you since you showed up here." He looked down at the floor for a long moment.

Chloe took a deep breath, maybe she wouldn't have to force it out of him after all, "you have been," she told him quietly, taking a step toward him, "but I know you have something going on too."

His eyebrows furrowed a little at that and he looked back at her. "What do you mean?"

"I guess neither one of us has been really looking forward to sharing much," she shrugged and kept her eyes on him.

Oliver held his breath for a moment. "I'm not sure either one of us is the type of person who does much of it in the first place."

"I agree," she told him, "but I do feel better now that you know the truth," she admitted.

"You do?" His voice was soft as he gazed at her.

Chloe nodded slightly, her eyes on his face, "yeah, I felt bad lying to you."

"You weren't lying to me, Chloe," he said, shaking his head.

"I wasn't telling you anything either," she pointed out.

He was quiet for a moment. "You don't owe me anything," he whispered. "You never have."

"I know," she said quietly, taking another step closer, "but you just took me back in, no questions asked, even after everything that happened last time we were around each other."

Oliver gazed at her. "I've had a lot of time to think about everything that happened the last time we were around each other."

She swallowed hard and nodded a little, "what conclusions did you reach?"

"That we all screwed up," he said quietly. "But most of us had the best intentions at heart."

She sighed softly and nodded, her eyes getting warm as she looked down, "sounds right."

He hesitantly moved closer to her. "Come here," he whispered.

Chloe pursed her lips together and looked up at him again, she knew the constant crying was mostly thanks to the hormones, but she wasn't about to turn his offer down. She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around him hesitantly.

Oliver wrapped his arms around her, as well, shutting his eyes as he rested his head atop hers.

She pressed her cheek against his chest, she could hear his heartbeat through it and she tightened her arms around him a little more. She knew he wasn't okay, for all she knew, he was pretty much by himself all this time too, with the exception of team meetings and missions, he seemed to have isolated himself in the city.

He exhaled slowly, holding onto her tightly. "I haven't been mad at you for any of it," he whispered. "I just want you to know that."

Closing her eyes tightly, she nodded a little, "and I don't blame you for anything," she whispered back, turning her face up a little without really realizing what she was doing and pressing her forehead against his neck.

He swallowed hard, his chest tightening at her words. He didn't understand that. How she didn't blame him for not listening to her at least, for not trying to come up with some kind of compromise.

 _For not being there in time to save Jimmy._ He held his breath as the thought drifted up into his consciousness and he kissed her temple silently.

Chloe's arms tightened around him once more at the comforting gesture but she pulled her head back a moment later, "you believe me, right?" She asked quietly.

He opened his eyes and met her gaze, nodding slightly and blinking a couple of times. "Yeah," he whispered. "I believe you."

She relaxed a little and nodded, smiling softly then searching his face for a long moment, "are _you_ okay?"

"I'm all right," he murmured, searching her eyes.

"Would you tell me if you weren't?" She asked quietly, not hiding her concern.

Oliver paused at that. "Why do you think I'm not okay?"

"Because you've been alone too," she said sincerely, pursing her lips together, "you said it yourself, the others don't come by unless there is a mission."

He looked down for a moment. "They have lives of their own," he said quietly.

Chloe's face fell a little and she rubbed her hand over his back soothingly without thinking about it, "do you?"

Oliver swallowed hard. "Yeah, of course. Between QI and Green Arrow, I don't have a lot of free time."

She sighed softly and shook her head, "I know what you're doing because I do it too," she told him quietly, "you're hiding."

"Is that what it is?" He cocked his head to the side, looking up at her once more.

"Isn't it?" She asked quietly. "You're keeping busy with work to avoid everything else."

"Maybe," he said just as quietly.

Chloe took a deep breath and pursed her lips together a little, "maybe we can both make an effort to be better?"

"I think we both have been a little at least, already." He smiled faintly.

"Yeah," she agreed quietly then smiled a little, "but I don't think all the small talk is actually helping us improve."

He ducked his head at that, nodding. "No. Probably not." He was quiet for a moment. "What do you suggest?"

"Try to be a little more open with each other?" She told him, "I know it's not easy for either one of us, but I think it would help."

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. Deal."

She relaxed a little and smiled softly at him, pulling back and nodding at him as she held out her hand.

He gazed at it for a moment, then slid his hand into hers, looking up to meet her eyes. Then he smiled back.

Chloe squeezed his hand a little as she shook it and smiled back at him. She knew he was going to be trying to take care of her whether she let him or not, she just wanted to make sure he was aware she would be doing the same.


	7. Chapter 7

The following night, Chloe had asked Oliver if he wanted to meet somewhere for dinner in an effort to get both of them out of their apartments for a while, they had agreed to go to the same Italian restaurant he had taken her to a couple weeks ago when she first showed up in the city, it was pretty close to them and it sounded like both of them liked the food so she was hoping it would make them a little more comfortable with each other.

It was a little past seven when she walked into the restaurant, not surprised to find him already sitting there. She smiled a little at him and made her way toward the booth, "hey."

"Hey." He smiled up at her as she moved to sit down. "How was your day?"

"It was good," Chloe told him, "talked to Lo for a while," she said quietly, smiling softly, "how was yours?"

Oliver shifted a little in the booth. "Long," he admitted. "How's Lois?"

"Good," she said, pursing her lips together, "relieved that you know."

He raised his eyebrows at that. "She is?"

"Yeah," Chloe admitted, "she has been telling me to tell you since I told her I was coming to Star City."

"Oh." There was more than a hint of surprise in his voice.

"You seem surprised," she pointed out, not planning on letting him brush it off like she had been doing so far. She wanted him to be honest with her as much as she could.

Oliver hesitated a moment, then nodded. "A little, yeah."

"Why?" She asked quietly.

"Well. We haven't kept in touch that much since I've been gone. And she's been spending a lot of time with Clark, so..." He looked down at the table.

"Lois isn't like that," she pointed out, "she knows you're a good guy, Ollie, and just because she's with Clark, it doesn't mean she shares his opinions."

He nodded a little, taking a drink of his ice water. "Right," he said softly.

Chloe smiled softly at him and shrugged a little, "it's the truth, and she was right anyway."

"Right about what?"

"About you handling it well," she told him quietly, "not that I thought you wouldn't, but since I didn't tell anyone else besides her, I was nervous."

Oliver nodded a little, reaching across the table and covering her hand with his.

She looked down at their hands and smiled softly, looking at him again, "thanks."

A smile tugged at his mouth and he nodded. "Are you hungry?" he asked, glancing at the menu.

"Yeah," she admitted, "either I'm nauseous or starving lately," she told him, figuring that the more she shared, the more comfortable he was going to be with doing the same.

He nodded at that, holding the menu out to her. "We could order salad while we wait on the main course," he suggested.

Chloe considered and nodded a little, "yeah, and the bread helps too," she told him, taking the menu, "so what made your day so long?"

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "We're planning a charity gala to build a new wing to the hospital. It's not exactly my strong suit, even if I'm behind the cause."

She made a face at that, "any way you can get out of it?" She asked, picking up her glass and sipping on her water.

"Afraid not. And in addition to having to help plan it, of course, I have to attend it." He sighed.

"At least it's for a good cause?" She pointed out, pursing her lips together.

He nodded. "It is, I know," he agreed. "I'll be expected to find a date and..." His voice trailed off and his expression suddenly brightened a little.

Chloe blinked at that, she wasn't sure why she suddenly felt very uncomfortable, but she did, "right, that makes sense."

Oliver offered her his best smile. "So what are you doing next Friday night?"

She stilled and arched an eyebrow, clearly shocked by the unexpected question, "what?"

"Well, if you're not busy, and I have to attend this charity event and I'm supposed to bring a date..." He raised his eyebrows and smiled brightly.

"You want _me_ to go with you?" She said, even if it was obvious, she was still surprised.

"Yeah, I do. What do you think?" he asked hopefully.

Chloe blew out a breath and shook her head a little, "if you're sure you don't want to find someone else to come with you."

"I don't," Oliver said without hesitation, leaning back in the booth and smiling.

She stared at him for a moment longer then cleared her throat, "I obviously don't have any plans."

"That works out great for me." He winked at her.

"A week from today?" She asked, wanting to make sure.

He nodded slightly, watching her.

Chloe blew out a breath and nodded a little, "I'll try to find something to wear."

Oliver paused, then leaned forward once more. "Why don't I set up an appointment for you with a personal shopper?" he offered. "She can show you all the dress shops in the city and you can pick out whatever you'd like."

She pursed her lips together then shook her head a little, "no, it's okay, as long as you give me some idea where to go, I can find something."

"Are you sure?" he asked, taking a sip of his water.

"Yeah, I rather do it on my own," she admitted, smiling a little, "hopefully it will be acceptable."

"I have no doubts," he assured her, smiling back at her.

"Maybe we can look at some online and you can help me get some idea of what I should be looking for?" She asked.

"Sure," he agreed, nodding a little. "I really appreciate this, Chloe."

"Thank you for inviting me," she said sincerely.

Oliver smiled softly at her. "No one else I'd rather take."

Chloe smiled a little and looked down then back at him before reaching for her glass of water and sipping on it again.

He ducked his head, looking down as well, even as he smiled a little more.

She looked up again when the waitress brought them bread for the table and took their orders, instantly reaching for the bread as soon as the woman walked away.

Oliver took one of the pieces of bread, as well, popping a bite into his mouth. "They have the best sweet bread here."

"Sweet bread?" She asked, eating her piece.

He nodded a little. "You'd think they'd have garlic bread, right?" He shook his head. "Wait til you taste it dipped in the marinara."

Chloe licked her lips instantly and nodded, her mouth watering, "looking forward to it."

He couldn't help but grin at the expression on her face.

She paused and smirked a little, "what?"

"Nothing." He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from chuckling.

Her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward a little, "now you're laughing at me, you better tell me why, Queen." She smirked more, at least he seemed more relaxed.

He grinned, leaning forward a little. "Well, when I mentioned dipping the bread in the marinara, you actually licked your lips. It was cute."

"Oh," she grinned softly, blushing and shrugged a little, "it sounded really good."

"It'll be worth the wait. Promise." His eyes were bright as he gazed at her.

"I'll take your word for it," she said, smiling as she held his gaze, her chest feeling warmer all of the sudden.

He smiled back, holding his breath at the smile she gave him. He'd missed that smile.

Chloe cocked her head a little and watched him, "you seem more relaxed," she told him quietly, her face softening.

"So do you," he said just as quietly.

"I feel more relaxed," she confirmed, smiling softly.

Oliver met her gaze once more, nodding. "Me too," he admitted softly.

"Coming to Star City was a good choice," she told him quietly.

"I'm really glad it's the one you made," Oliver said sincerely.

She hesitated for a second then reached for his hand and squeezed it softly, nodding a little and smiling at him.

He smiled, turning his hand in hers and threading their fingers together, returning the light squeeze.

Her heart skipped a beat and she pursed her lips together, brushing her thumb over his fingers and smiling softly. This was a big change from all their other meals.

"So Bart's coming tomorrow." He didn't pull his hand away.

"Yeah," she held her breath and blinked, but didn't pull her hand back either, "do you know what time?"

"Knowing Bart, he'll be expecting a full breakfast spread by ten a.m.," he joked.

Chloe grinned softly at that and nodded, "okay, we can do that."

Oliver grinned, as well. "So plenty of pancakes, bacon, eggs and toast. Anything else?"

"Can we make that french toast instead?" She asked, biting down on her bottom lip, her thumb still brushing against his hand.

"Yeah, sure," he said, nodding. He looked down at her hand and smiled softly.

She kept her eyes on his face, her chest tightening when he smiled and she squeezed his hand softly then took a deep breath, "and we are running the mission tomorrow night, then?"

Oliver nodded a little at that. "That's the plan."

"Good," she smiled a little at him, "hopefully it will be okay."

"It'll be fine. As work goes, this one's fairly simple." He brushed his thumb lightly over hers.

"I know," she told him, ignoring the tingling on her hand where his skin touched hers, "but it's my first bigger one back."

"You'll be great, Chloe," he said softly, gazing at her. "You always were."

Chloe blushed again and nodded a little, squeezing his hand lightly, "I hope you're right."

"Of course I am." He grinned, winking at her and picking up his glass, taking a drink.

She smirked and nodded a little, "can't shatter your ego."

"Perish the thought. I need that ego." His eyes sparkled with amusement.

"You do wear it well," she said, smirking softly.

"You think?" He cocked his head to the side, grin brightening even more.

That grin on his face had yet another effect on her that she wasn't willing to acknowledge, she'd just chalk it up to hormones and move on, "don't you?"

He chuckled. "Well, I am kinda known for it."

"You're known for a lot of things that aren't true, though," she pointed out, smirking.

"And a lot of things that are." He smirked back at her, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Well," she leaned forward and smirked, "the ones that are aren't usually linked to Oliver Queen." She said, lowering her voice.

Oliver met her eyes, holding her gaze. "No, that's true," he agreed just as quietly.

Chloe smiled softly and nodded, "those are the best kind anyway."

"Can't disagree with that." He smiled faintly.

"Most of the rest is highly exaggerated though, wouldn't you agree?" She smirked.

A smirk tugged at his mouth once more. "Most," he relented. "But not _all_ of it."

"Care to be more specific, Mr. Queen?" She asked, arching her eyebrows.

Oliver raised his eyebrows, as well. "The stuff about me being amazing in bed definitely wasn't an exaggeration."

Her eyes widened a little, she had been expecting him to bring up any subject but that, her mouth was suddenly a lot drier than it should be, "oh," she blinked, "that's... good to know."

He laughed involuntarily at the shocked expression on her face.

Chloe blinked a couple of times then grinned a little, blushing once again and squeezing his hand, "cute."

"I try," he teased, squeezing her hand back.

She grinned a little more and nodded, "you manage."

"Good to know." He let go of her hand reluctantly as the waitress returned with their food at that moment.

Chloe pulled her hand and took a deep breath, smiling at him then turning her attention at her food, as soon as the waitress left, she reached for a piece of bread and smirked at Ollie, "let's see how good it is."

Oliver smirked back at her, nodding and doing the same. "Count of three," he teased.

She laughed a little and shook her head, "can't wait that long," she told him, dipping her bread on her sauce and taking a bite.

He grinned at her, raising his eyebrows and waiting for her reaction with more curiosity and enthusiasm than he'd mustered up in a very long time.

After chewing for a moment she sighed, closing her eyes and nodding a little as she swallowed, "okay," she said quietly, opening her eyes again, "that is really good."

He held his breath as he watched her, his chest tightening. He just nodded a little.

"How can you resist coming here every day to eat this?" Chloe asked before taking another bite.

He smiled. "Because there's plenty of amazing food all over town," he told her, winking at her. "I'll have to introduce you to some of the other kinds." He picked up his fork and dug into his pasta.

"Do you know any good French restaurants?" She asked as she picked up her glass and sipped on it again.

"Tons. A couple are even in the United States." He grinned and took a drink, as well.

Chloe laughed softly and shook her head, "I did mean in the city, preferably within walking distance?"

"You mean when I have to go to Paris in a few weeks on business, you're going to make me go alone?" He raised his eyebrows, taking a bite of food.

"How much of a hypothetical question is this?" She asked, narrowing her eyes curiously.

"Completely hypothetical until about September 16th," he said innocently.

"Why are you going to Paris for?" She asked, eating a piece of her meatball.

"Queen Industries actually has a branch there. I usually spend a couple of weeks there in the fall just to check things over," he told her, taking a drink of his water. "Sort of an annual visit."

"Oh," she said, nodding a little, "that's nice, what about your other job, do you do that there too?"

A smile tugged at his mouth. "Yeah."

"Well," she shifted on her seat, "in that case, I suppose there is a reason for me to go."

"Excellent." He grinned again, taking another bite of food. "How's the spaghetti?"

"It's amazing," she told him, shifting her plate toward him, "want a bite?"

"Sure." He nodded a little, reaching out with his fork and winding a couple of spaghetti noodles onto it and taking a bite. He nodded in approval, moving his own plate toward her. "Here, try mine."

Chloe reached over and took some of his fettucinnie on her fork, taking a bite and nodding her approval too, "that's also really good, but I think the marinara sauce goes better with the bread."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it does. Next time we're here we should just get a 'Taste of Italy.'" He paused. "Or better yet, go to Italy."

She grinned, "well, maybe when we're in France we can stop by?" She suggested, excited about the idea of spending some time with Oliver and seeing Europe at the same time.

He relaxed at her enthusiasm, grinning as well. "Yeah, we can definitely do that," he agreed, his eyes bright again.

"Sounds great," she told him, her own eyes bright, she hadn't been genuinely excited about something in a long time.

"Excellent." He could hardly wait.


	8. Chapter 8

Oliver had gotten up early to do his morning workout and shower before he started cooking breakfast for Chloe and Bart. It had been awhile since he'd last seen the latter, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He was just glad that Chloe was going to be there and that that would definitely take some of the nervousness away--hopefully on Bart's part, as well. He heard the knock on his door and smiled a bit as he glanced at the clock. "Come on in," he called.

Bart stepped into the apartment a second later and grinned as he smelled food instantly, "dude, you're even cooking me breakfast? How bad is this mission?"

He blinked and turned to glance over his shoulder, smiling a bit. "Not bad," he assured him. "But it is early so I figured food was the way to go."

"Time doesn't matter, food is always the way to go," Bart pointed out, walking over to where Oliver was, "so what's going on?"

"Oh, just...the usual," he said vaguely, trying to suppress a smile. He shuffled some eggs and bacon onto a plate, handing it to Bart. "Milk and juice are in the fridge." He couldn't wait to see the look on Bart's face when Chloe walked in.

"The usual?" Bart echoed, frowning a little but he walked to the fridge anyway, opening the door and pulling both beverages out.

"You know. Work and stuff." He shrugged a little, dunking some bread into the French toast batter and tossing it onto the skillet. "How about you?"

"The same too," Bart told him, "though, you really should come back to Keystone with me, man, I met some girls last week and one of them even gave me her phone number!"

Oliver grinned at that. "Have to pass on that offer, but good for you."

"You should at least play wingman for me, dude," Bart said then turned when he heard the elevator quickly followed by a knock, "I didn't know the rest of the team was coming."

"Just one, actually." He bit his lip, still grinning. "Watch the French toast for me for a minute." He headed toward the door and pulled it open.

Bart glanced at the frying pan but looked back at Oliver, he was acting weird.

Chloe smiled up at him when he opened the door, "hey, sorry I'm late, getting up was hard this morning."

"No problem. Come on in." He smiled back at her, holding his hand out to her.

Her stomach tightened nervously at the extended hand and also because she hadn't seen Bart in a while, but she smiled at him and took his hand.

Bart stilled, his eyes widened when he saw who it was, "Chloe?"

Oliver smiled at him, leading her farther into the apartment and toward the kitchen. "Surprise." His voice was light.

"What are you doing here?" Bart asked, still shocked.

"Moved here a couple of weeks ago," Chloe admitted, her hand squeezing Oliver's, "it's good to see you."

Bart stared at her another moment, then grinned, moving over to her and hugging her.

Oliver smiled softly at that, and stepped into the kitchen once more, flipping the French toast.

Chloe relaxed and hugged him back. Bart, Ollie and Dinah had been the ones who had been there when everything went down and at least two of them didn't seem to have a problem with her.

"Looking gorgeous as always." Bart grinned brightly as he pulled away to look at her.

She grinned a little and shook her head, "and you're a flirt, as always," she told him, "how are you?"

"Only with the most beautiful women," he assured her. "I'm good. You're a sight for sore eyes."

"Ollie wondered if maybe we should tell you I was staying here ahead of time, but I didn't let him," Chloe told him, smiling, "but we're neighbors now."

"Best surprise ever." He looped his arm around her shoulders.

Oliver smiled, silently agreeing as he stacked the French toast onto one large plate and set it on the kitchen table. "Breakfast is ready," he told them, pouring a cup of caramel flavored decaf coffee into a mug and setting it down for Chloe.

Chloe paused when she saw him setting the mug with coffee in it in front of the chair she was pulling and arched her eyebrows questioningly.

He winked at her. "Decaf," he mouthed as Bart moved to pick up a plate.

She relaxed and smiled, shaking her head, of course he would be that thoughtful, "thank you," she said then went to pick up a plate for herself too, "it smells great."

"Hopefully it tastes good. Been awhile since I've cooked," he admitted, sitting down at the table.

"And now I get _why_ you're cooking," Bart smirked, sitting down and placing his plate in front of him, a pile of food on it.

Just as Chloe placed a piece of french toast over her plate, the smell of the eggs hit her and her stomach turned instantly, she placed the plate over the sink and disappeared down the hallway without another word.

Oliver winced a little as he watched her flee down the hall. _Crap._

Bart frowned and looked in that direction then over at Oliver, "what was that?"

"Uh, I'm not sure." He rose to his feet and headed down the hall, grimacing a little as he heard her throwing up.

Bart winced and stood up, "should we do something?"

"You go ahead and eat, I'll check on her," Oliver told him.

"You sure man?" Bart asked, frowning worriedly.

"I'm sure," he said with a nod, moving down the hallway and knocking lightly on the bathroom door. He didn't wait for her to say come in, simply stepped inside and shut the door. He grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet, put it under cold water and knelt down beside her, pressing the cloth to her forehead.

Chloe blinked and lifted her head when she felt the tower, she was trying to catch her breath and now more than a little embarrassed, "thank you," she murmured, not looking at him.

"Not a problem," he said softly, resting his free hand lightly on her back. "Better?"

"Yeah," she whispered, pulling the lid on the toilet and flushing it before sitting back on her heels.

"Sorry," he murmured. "Was it the bacon? Or the eggs?"

"Eggs," she said, shuddering a little just thinking about them, "I didn't even think about it, the smell is just too strong."

"I'll get rid of them and open a window," he told her, rubbing her back without thinking about it.

She shook her head a little and sighed softly, "no, it should be okay now."

"Are you sure?" There was concern in his voice.

"Yeah," Chloe said, smiling softly at him, "thank you."

Oliver nodded a little and helped her to her feet, an arm around her waist. "Bart's worried," he murmured.

She winced a little and nodded, "I guess it will be hard to lie now," she said quietly, standing up then moving to the sink and reaching for the mouth wash.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Chloe." He gazed at her in the mirror.

"I know," she told him quietly after rinsing her mouth then shrugging a little, "still getting used to it, I guess. I didn't find out until three weeks ago."

Oliver nodded a little, realizing they had more to talk about still, even if right then wasn't a good time.

"Everything okay?" Bart called from outside the bathroom.

"Yeah," Chloe answered, taking a deep breath and nodding at Oliver then starting to the door.

Oliver followed her out of the bathroom silently, offering Bart a small, reassuring smile.

"Ollie's cooking isn't that gross, is it, 'Licious?" He tried, smirking a little and winking at her.

Chloe grinned softly and shook her head, "no, it's actually really good, that was all me."

Oliver gave Bart a look. "Besides, you've managed to survive just fine," he said wryly.

Bart flashed Ollie a grin and shrugged, wrapping his arm around Chloe's shoulder's again, "you okay?"

She swallowed hard and nodded a little, "I'm okay, but we should probably sit back down."

Oliver met her eyes and smiled faintly. "Sounds like a good idea." He led the way back to the kitchen, casually moving over and opening the window anyway, just in case. Then he sat back down at the table.

Chloe smiled a little and picked up her plate with just the french toast in it, holding her breath until she was away from the eggs and making her way to the table.

Bart frowned, looking between them, "what's going on?"

He didn't glance at Chloe, just up at Bart. "What do you mean?"

"It's okay, Ollie," Chloe told him, picking up the coffee and sipping on it, making a face as the taste mixed with the mouth wash, then taking a deep breath and looking at Bart, "I guess the easiest way to do this is just say it." She glanced at Ollie then back at Bart, "I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened at that and he looked over at Oliver, then back at her. "You're gonna have a baby?"

Her stomach turned slightly at that and she nodded, "yeah, I am."

Oliver noticed the apprehension in her tone and reached across the table, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Chloe smiled softly at Oliver and nodded a little at him.

Bart cocked his head and frowned, "wait, you _two_ are having a baby?" He asked, his eyes wider than before.

Oliver's eyes widened a little at that. "What? No." Even as he said it, his stomach tightened a little and he frowned.

Chloe shook her head a little and held her breath, "no, no, it's just me." She told Bart.

"Oh," Bart frowned, confused, "then who is the dad? Need me to beat him up?" He offered without a second thought.

Oliver blinked, drawing in a breath and letting it out slowly. It was one thing he hadn't asked Chloe because he wasn't sure if she was comfortable talking about it since she hadn't volunteered the information. Not that that had stopped him before, but this seemed a lot more personal. "Hey, Bart, want some more French toast?" he suggested.

She held her breath then smiled at Bart a little, shaking her head, "no, he's not an issue." She promised him.

He watched Chloe for a moment then nodded at Oliver, "yeah, I'll need seconds," Bart said, taking the hint and walking over to the kitchen.

Oliver gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry," he said softly.

"It's okay," she said sincerely, smiling a little at him and squeezing his hand.

He nodded a little, squeezing her hand in return and taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly and reluctantly pulling away. He popped a piece of bacon in his mouth and chewed it slowly, lost in thought.

Chloe finally turned to her french toast and took a bite of it, smiling as she ate, "this is great, Ollie."

He blinked a couple of times, smiling faintly as he watched her. "Good."

"You okay?" She asked quietly, hearing Bart still in the kitchen.

"Me? Yeah, I'm good," he assured her, nodding as he met her eyes.

She held his gaze and her heart skipped a beat like it had the previous night, she smiled at him but turned her attention away to take another bite of her toast, she had to be careful around him or this could get even messier really soon.

* * *

Oliver stood atop one of the tallest buildings in Star City, surveying the area. The last few nights several individuals had been literally _frozen_ to death, and considering the current temp in the city was well over eighty, they knew something was definitely up. He and Chloe had figured it was some kind of meteor-infected person--albeit a long way from home--so he and Bart were both determined to catch the person once and for all before he killed again.

"Anything?" he asked over the communicator. 

"Nothing on the heat index," Chloe told them, then paused, frowning, "wait."

"What is it?" he asked immediately, a chill running up his spine.

"The temperature just dropped twenty degrees two blocks northwest of you, by the docks."

"On it," he told her, running to the edge of the roof and leaping onto the next one.

Bart sped in the direction Chloe told them, his eyes widening when he saw a blond girl with a staff and a blue guy, "woah."

"What do you see, Impulse?" he asked as he leaped onto another rooftop, and then another.

"Someone got here before us," he told them, moving over to the girls' side, "need a hand, gorgeous?"

Chloe frowned, "Arrow? Something is approaching you, hurry!"

Oliver frowned, as well, but kept moving. He certainly didn't _hear_ anyone approaching. Besides who else would be up on the rooftops that late at night besides _him_?

A moment later, he was picked up and lifted into the air.

"Arrow?" Chloe called, her eyes wide as she saw both dots on top of each other.

"What the--" His eyes were wide, as well as he found himself suddenly flying through the air, the comm device slipping from his ear as he tried to look up. Everything was a blur until he suddenly realized where they were heading--right back to his apartment building and it sure as hell didn't feel like they were slowing down.

He suddenly found himself careening straight through the sliding glass doors, shattering them with the force as he tumbled inside.

"Ar--" Chloe stilled at the shattering noise all of the sudden and without thinking twice, dropped to the floor and covered her head.

"Mind your own business, green bean," the winged man grunted before flying away.

Oliver groaned as he sat up slowly, staring in the direction the other man had gone.

Chloe blinked and lifted her head, her eyes wide when she saw Oliver, "Ollie?" She called.

The sound of her voice brought him spiraling back to reality and he quickly looked over at her, where she was lying on the floor. "Christ. Are you all right?" He grimaced as he pushed himself to his feet slowly and moved over toward her.

She nodded, sitting up too, swallowing hard, "Impulse!" She called.

"I'm okay, Tower, on my way back."

He knelt down beside her painfully, reaching out and gently running his hands over her arms, examining her for injuries. "Are you _sure_ you're all right?"

"Yeah," she told him, wincing when she saw the cuts on his face, "you're bleeding," she told him, lifting a hand and brushing his short hair away from his face.

He winced a little, too, looking down. Not only was his face bleeding but there were little cuts all over his arms, as well. "I'm replacing the doors and windows with shatter-proof glass," he grumbled.

"Well, I'm glad he threw you on the inside," she whispered, letting her fingers brush over his cheek gently, "Bart is on his way back."

"Is he all right?" He sighed. "I lost the comm device."

"He said he was." Chloe told him, shifting as she watched him, "do you need a hospital?"

"No, I think I'm all right." He offered her his best reassuring smile, rising to his feet slowly and holding his hand out to help her up, as well.

Chloe took his hand and stood up then winced at the strong wind that meant Bart was back.

"Dude, what was that?" He asked, his eyes wide, "I just looked up and you were flying."

"And being thrown through the glass doors," Oliver told him, grimacing as he brushed flecks of glass off him.

"Who got you? Was it one of them? Because there was this really hot chick with a staff and she was fighting ice boy. And then she told me to leave but she was still fighting him."

He stared at Bart for a moment, then looked at Chloe, his eyes wide with surprise. "What the hell? Are you telling me there are more of _us_ out there?"

"I guess, she was pretty pissed though."

"Did you get a name or anything?" Chloe asked, frowning.

Oliver's jaw tightened just a little. "Are you sure it wasn't one of the Birds?" he asked, looking over at him.

"The Birds?" Chloe asked, frowning.

Bart shifted uncomfortably and shook his head, "no, I would have recognized them, I'll go back out and look for them," he said and vanished, not wanting to have to answer to that again.

He blew out a breath, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that it probably wasn't the other group of vigilantes.

"Ollie?" Chloe asked, still confused and shook her head, "who are the birds?"

Oliver turned to face her, falling silent for a moment. "Another group of vigilantes. They generally stay around Gotham, but if something big is going down, they've been known to get involved."

"And you don't seem to like that much," she asked, frowning, "why?"

"No, it's good. Gotham needs all the help it can get. Let's just say I'm not their most favorite person on the planet," he told her, turning and heading down the hallway toward the bathroom so he could clean up.

"Oliver?" She called, frowning and starting after him, "who are they?"

He let out a breath. "Dinah's team."

Chloe paused and raised her eyebrows, "Dinah has her own team? Why?"

He opened the medicine cabinet, not answering for a moment. "Dinah decided this team wasn't the right one for her."

She frowned and took the cotton balls from him then cocked her head, "what happened?"

"I happened," he said quietly, not looking at her. He grabbed the bottle of alcohol from the cabinet.

"Sit down," she told him, taking the bottle from him too and watching him worriedly.

He obeyed, sitting down on the sink, shoulders slumping a little.

Chloe soaked the cotton and lifted it gently to the cut on his arm, "do you wanna tell me what happened between you two?"

Oliver bit down on his tongue at the sharp sting, then let out a breath, shutting his eyes for a moment. "She found out what I did to Lex," he admitted quietly.

She blinked at that and shook her head, "how?"

"Clark told her and Bart when she showed up in Smallville the day that..." He held his breath for a moment. "With Davis."

"Oh," she cleaned another cut on his arm, at least they weren't deep, "how can she be against this when she knows exactly what he was capable of?"

"She doesn't want to be associated with someone who's capable of cold-blooded murder." He didn't look at her, wincing just a little.

"Hypocrite," Chloe muttered, shaking her head as she focused on the cut on his arm.

Oliver's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"Dinah," she told him, "she used to work for him, what did she think was going to happen eventually when he sent her to one of her little missions? She'd be expected to kill someone to get him what he wanted, and if she didn't, he would end her, the only reason it didn't get that far was because _you_ helped her out of it." Chloe said, getting flustered.

He was silent for a moment. "Maybe," he murmured.

Chloe's jaw clenched a little, "I can't believe she'd do this to you."

Oliver glanced up at her, shrugging. "It's all right, Chloe." His voice was quiet.

She sighed deeply and picked up another cotton ball then soaked it and lifted it to the cut on his face, "it's not, she should know better, she knows you're one of the good guys."

"Ow," he mumbled, pulling away just a little.

She winced a little and frowned, "sorry, does it hurt?"

"Just the...stinging." Mostly anyway.

"Oh," Chloe nodded a little, brushing the cotton against the cut a little more gently.

He held his breath, gazing at her intently even as she focused on what she was doing. He had the sudden urge to reach up and tuck some hair behind her ear, mostly because he wanted to see if her skin was as soft as it looked.

 _Where the hell did that come from_? he wondered, stomach tightening a little.

She soaked a third cotton ball and focused on the bigger cut on his face, close to his temple, she lifted her free hand and stepped closer, brushing her fingers against his hair as she tilted his head to a different angle so she could see the cut better to clean in.

And at that angle, he had the perfect view of her cleavage, which he couldn't help but stare at. _I'm going to hell for this_. He forced himself to shut his eyes.

Chloe glanced at him then focused on the cut once more, pressing the cotton ball gently against the open wound.

He could feel the warmth of her skin and he held his breath, willing himself not to move--and definitely not to put his hands on her. "Wonder if Bart's found anything." That's right, focus on work, he thought nervously.

"I hope so," she said quietly, taking a step to the side to go back to his arm and half tripping against his foot, placing a hand on his shoulder for balance, "sorry."

Instinctively he reached out to steady her as well, opening his eyes once more as one of his hands rested on her hip. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she told him, blinking, "did I hurt you?"

"No, you're fine," he murmured, gazing at her intently.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" She asked quietly, searching his eyes.

Oliver shook his head wordlessly, holding his breath.

Chloe's breath caught and she nodded a little, her mouth suddenly dry, "are you sure?" She asked, not completely sure what she was saying.

"I'm sure," he murmured.

She watched him for a second then blinked and took a step back, "I should, hm, check on Bart."

"Yeah, probably." He swallowed hard, dropping his hand from her hip.

Chloe started toward the door then paused and turned to look at him again, "is there anything you need?" She asked, not wanting to leave the room or leave his side.

"I'm all right," he assured her quietly, offering her a small smile.

Nodding, she turned around and walked out of the bathroom, her head spinning. She really had to be more careful, Oliver was nothing short of absolutely intoxicating.


	9. Chapter 9

Chloe had been spending most of the hours where she was awake, which weren't as many as they used to be, researching and trying to find out who the winged man was. Bart hadn't gotten much from the blond girl, so she was researching mostly based on her but it still wasn't a lot to go on.

Today, however, she was going to take a necessary break. She had just grabbed her purse and was heading to the door when she heard the elevator. Raising her eyebrows, she opened the door a moment later to find Oliver standing there. She smiled a little, surprised, "Ollie, hi."

"Hi." He blinked, as well, his hand still poised to knock. "I uh--took the afternoon off." He held up a bag that held food from the deli down the street inside. "Brought lunch."

"Oh," she smiled a little and pursed her lips together a little, "I was actually just on my way out." She admitted apologetically.

"Oh. Right. Hence the purse and shoes." He smiled a bit. "Well, I'll just...store it for dinner?"

"Well," Chloe said quietly, "it usually doesn't take me more than an hour, but if you're hungry you can eat."

Oliver paused, gazing at her. "Doctor's appointment?"

Nodding, she smiled a little, "routine."

"Oh." He nodded a little, suddenly looking a little apprehensive.

That made _her_ pause and she frowned a little, "is something wrong?"

"No, no," he said quickly, shaking his head. "No. Everything's fine."

"Are you sure? I can call and say I can't make it, Ollie." She said worriedly, she hadn't seen him ever taking an afternoon off before and he had come over with every intention of spending time with her, obviously.

"I'm sure. I just...I don't want to overstep any boundaries." He chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"What boundaries?" She asked, confused.

"Nothing." He shook his head, taking a step backward. "I should let you get to your appointment."

"No, Oliver, tell me, what is going on?" She asked, taking a step forward and reaching for his arm.

He was quiet for another moment. "Do you think...maybe I could come with you?"

She blinked, her eyes widening in surprise, both at the request and at how incredibly unsure he looked, "you want to come to the appointment with me?"

Oliver rubbed the back of his neck. "Only if you're comfortable with that. I mean, it's okay if you're not."

"if you want to come, that's okay," she said quietly, her chest suddenly tight.

He blinked, looking up at her once more. "Really?"

Chloe pursed her lips together and nodded a little, "it's nothing exciting," she admitted, "it's too early for ultrasounds, but if you want to come, that's okay."

A small smile tugged at his mouth. "Okay. Let me just stick this in the fridge." He held up the bag once more.

"Okay," she said quietly, shifting a little nervously and pursing her lips together.

He stepped past her and into her apartment, quickly moving into the kitchen and sliding the back inside the fridge.

Chloe watched him then reached for the keys in her purse, suddenly very nervous, not because of the appointment, but because of Oliver wanting to come with her and what it meant.

"Do you want to walk? Or do you want me to drive?" he asked as he joined her again, offering her a small grin.

"We can walk," she told him, stepping outside the apartment and waiting for him to do the same before locking the door.

Nodding a little, he offered her his arm. "It's not as hot today," he told her.

"Oh," Chloe smiled softly and took his arm, heart skipping a beat, "glad to hear it."

"Bart ran down to Mexico." He led her toward the elevator. "For food, of course."

She shuddered at the thought and nodded, "yeah, good thing he has a stomach of steel."

"I take it that Baby Sullivan is _not_ craving Mexican."

Chloe wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "not at all," she admitted, "but then again, I'm currently in the nauseated phase."

"Like right now?" he asked, frowning a little and glancing at her sideways.

"Don't worry, it's not morning sickness kind of nauseated, it's just a lot less intense but a constant nausea." She assured him, squeezing his arm.

Oliver nodded a little. "Does anything help with that?"

"Well I read that there are some vitamins that can help, but I rather not take anything that could harm the baby," she told him, "besides, it's supposed to start getting better soon."

He nodded again, watching her. "And it's totally normal, right?"

"It is," she assured him then paused, "Ollie is there anything you want to know? You haven't really asked anything."

"Mostly I just want to make sure you're both okay. I mean, I know you are, I just..."

"You just?" She echoed, watching him quietly as they walked out of the elevator once it made its way to the bottom floor.

"I don't know," he admitted quietly. "Want to make completely sure?"

"Yeah," she smiled at him, "well, the doctor can probably assure you better than I can."

He relaxed a little at that, nodding. "Thanks for letting me come with you."

"You're welcome," she told him quietly, "for the record, I'm nine weeks," she told him, volunteering the information anyway, because she didn't want the appointment to confuse him more than it should.

"Oh." His eyes widened a little at that and he blinked a few times. "Wow, that's...only a few months away."

"Almost seven," she told him, her own eyes widening a little, "it's plenty of time, right?"

Oliver looked over at her and nodded quickly. "Yeah, it is. You just don't really look pregnant yet, you know?"

"Yeah," she held her breath a little, "I think it will feel more real then, it's supposed to start showing in the next month or so, you know, a little."

He smiled faintly at that, nodding. "Are you scared?" he asked softly as they crossed the street together.

Chloe pursed her lips together and nodded slightly, her chest tightening, "terrified."

Oliver gently tugged her closer to his side. "You'll be a great mom," he whispered.

"You think so?" She asked quietly, leaning into him and looking up at him.

"I know so." He smiled and looked down at her.

She leaned her cheek against his arm and nodded a little, looking up at him, "thanks, Ollie."

"Just telling the truth," he said quietly. "You're an amazing woman. This baby's lucky."

"I agree," she said just as quietly, "she or he will have the best uncle ever."

Oliver's chest tightened at that. "I'm sure Bart will agree," he joked.

Chloe rolled her eyes and grinned, "Bart will be the second best uncle."

He couldn't help but smile back. "And to think you thought you were an only child."

"I'm glad that's only in theory," she admitted quietly, smiling up at him, "small families aren't fun."

"No, they're not," he agreed just as quietly.

She blinked and frowned, wincing then hugging his arm, "sorry, I didn't mean to bring anything up."

Oliver shook his head. "It's okay, Chloe," he assured her.

Chloe nodded a little and took a deep breath, "speaking of family," she told him quietly, "the dad is out of the picture." She told him quietly, remembering the conversation with Bart, "I'm not even sure he knows my last name."

He paused at that, glancing down at her once more. "Do you uh--I mean, do you have any idea of how to reach him? If you'd want to?"

"I could probably track him down if I wanted to," she nodded, "but I wouldn't want to do that, it was a one night stand, Ollie. Well, two night stands, the last thing I want is to raise a child with a stranger." She didn't have a problem telling him that, if there was anyone other than her cousin who wasn't going to judge her for a one night stand, it was Ollie.

He chewed the inside of his cheek, nodding a little. "Yeah, that's understandable."

"I just rather not have to deal with it, if I remember correctly, he was moving to Scotland for a job the week after we slept together anyway, I doubt he would even remember me if he saw me on the street." She said. She knew she was babbling, but it was easy to talk to him.

"I don't know about that. You're not exactly the kind of woman a guy just forgets about," he said without really thinking about it.

"I rather he doesn't remember me," she admitted, looking down.

Oliver glanced at her. "Any particular reason?" he asked softly.

"Because there wasn't a connection there? He wasn't bad or anything, just... not someone I want to have in my life permanently." She told him.

He nodded slightly, sliding his arm around her waist. "Yeah," he said quietly.

Chloe leaned into him and sighed softly, wrapping an arm around him too, "thanks, Ollie."

His eyebrows furrowed a little. "For what?"

She smiled a little and leaned into him a little more, lifting her head and smiling more at him, her eyes shining with tears, "this, all your support."

Oliver's expression softened at that. "You're welcome." He smiled faintly.

Smiling a little more, she nodded at him and took a deep breath as they reached the clinic right next to the hospital, where Chloe normally went for her appointments.

He let her lead him inside, and he glanced around at the few patients that were waiting--all of whom were clearly pregnant. He stood next to her as she signed in, then followed her to one of the empty sofas.

"Shouldn't be too long," she told him once they were settled, "they have several doctors."

"It's not a problem. Have all afternoon." He smiled.

"But you must be starving," she told him, smiling softly back at him, not noticing the looks they were getting from everyone else.

"And _you_ are the one eating for two. I'll live," he teased her, grinning.

"Well, more like one and a half for now," she grinned back, shrugging a little at him.

"Okay a tiny half," he agreed, holding her gaze. "Still."

"Like, this big," she said, holding her thumb and index fingers apart just a little and smirking softly at him as she kept her eyes on his face.

"Seriously?" He raised his eyebrows, staring at her fingers.

Pursing her lips together, she nodded, smiling up at him, her eyes bright.

"Wow," he murmured. "That's so tiny."

"Yeah," she said, dropping her hand to the seat, "about an inch big right now, they grow a lot faster toward the end, which is why most women are absolutely miserable by the last month."

Oliver sat silently for a moment, still a little shocked. He was even more clueless about the whole pregnancy thing that he'd realized.

Chloe laughed softly and patted his leg, shaking her head, "you look even more freaked out than I feel, Ollie."

"It's just..." He looked at her, shaking his head. "An _inch_? That's it?"

She grinned and nodded a little, amused by the look on his face, "and it kind of looks like a fish, although not as much anymore."

Oliver blinked at that. "A fish?" he echoed.

"Did you know babies have tails until around seven or eight weeks?" She smirked, "well, it's their spinal column, but it looks like a tail."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you making this stuff up?' he asked suspiciously.

"Nope," she grinned brightly, "I'll show you when we get back."

Oliver stared at her.

"What?" She asked, not able to contain her amusement.

He shook his head, sitting back against the sofa and still looking at her. "Okay, I knew I was clueless, but..."

"Don't worry, Ollie," she told him, "I didn't know most of it either until I had to inform myself."

"Right." He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, glancing at her sideways. "Seriously though? A tail?"

"Yeah," she told him, "the spine forms first and then the body kinda grows into it, so it looks like a tail at first."

He rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head a little. "Wow."

Chloe smiled and nodded, "I know, it's pretty weird."

Before he had a chance to respond, one of the nurses called Chloe's name.

She held her breath and paused, nodding a little and standing up, "you sure you want to come in?"

"As long as you're okay with it. If you'd rather I wait out here, I can do that," he told her.

"No, you can come in," she assured him, holding her hand out to him without thinking about it and once more, without noticing their surroundings.

Oliver smiled at that, and slid his hand into hers without a second thought, rising to his feet.

Chloe walked into the office with him and greeted her doctor, feeling nervous still, but glad Oliver was there with her.

* * *

The walk back to the apartment was fast, by the time they stepped into the elevator, Chloe was starving again, "I'm really glad you brought food." she told him, smiling up at him, her arm still around his.

He grinned at her. "I'm hungry, too," he admitted.

"So what did you think?" She asked as she reached for her keys in her purse.

Oliver glanced at her. "It wasn't what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" She asked quietly.

"Honestly, I'm not even sure," he admitted. "It's all new to me."

"Well the doctor's visits will get more exciting in three weeks or so when they can do the ultrasound and actually see the baby," she told him, "right now is mostly about me."

He watched as she unlocked the door. "Well, it's about both of you through the whole thing really, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she agreed, "but mostly the visits now are to make sure my health is good enough, it's not very interesting." She pointed out.

"Maybe not, but it's important. Have to make sure you're all right." He smiled.

"I know," Chloe took a deep breath as they walked into the apartment and headed to the fridge straight away, "I'm just getting impatient to see it, I guess."

"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" he asked curiously.

"I have no clue," she admitted, "sometimes I think it's one, sometimes I think it's the other, but I don't know." Chloe said, picking up the bags he'd brought in and setting them on the counter.

Oliver nodded slightly at that, considering. "Do you want to find out early or be surprised?"

"Oh, I'm not waiting," she assured him, pulling the food from the bags, "I want to find out as soon as I can. I've had enough surprises as is," she added, smirking a little at him.

He smiled faintly, nodding once more and picking up the container of potato salad and carrying it to the table. Then he moved to get the sandwiches, as well.

"Do you ever want to have kids?" She asked, picking up a couple of glasses and filling them with ice and water.

Oliver paused at that, glancing at her for a moment and then back down at the food. "It's probably not going to happen," he said with a shrug.

"What makes you say that?" She asked, frowning as she joined him at the table.

"With what I do?" He raised his eyebrows a little.

"Well, I didn't think I would ever have one either, Ollie," she pointed out, "and I'm in the same business."

Oliver nodded a little, taking one of the glasses of water from her with a murmured thanks. "True."

"But that wasn't the question anyway," Chloe said, sitting down across from him.

A smile touched his mouth as he nodded in acknowledgment. "Do I want kids?" He was quiet for a moment. "I love kids. I'd be a terrible dad though."

"Oh, you would not," she told him, unwrapping the sandwich he had placed in front of her, "you deal with Bart, that's harder than any two year old."

Oliver chuckled involuntarily at that. "Yeah, maybe."

"For the record, I think you'd be a great dad," she told him, smiling softly at him before taking a bite of her sandwich.

He held his breath. "You do?"

She nodded, finishing her bite before speaking, "you're incredibly selfless and you'd do whatever it took to make sure your kid was okay."

He gazed at her for a moment. "I'll do that for yours, too," he said very quietly.

Chloe's chest tightened a little at that and her face softened, nodding, she smiled at him, "thank you."

He smiled back at her. "Welcome," he whispered.

She ate silently for a long moment then took a deep breath, "I'm glad the baby will have more people than just me around."

"We'll do all right," he said softly.

With a deep breath, she nodded a little, "I hope so."

"Bart's excited," he told her, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Chloe blinked and raised her eyebrows at that, "he is?"

"Yeah." He paused, a smirk tugging at his mouth. "Of course he also thinks if you have a boy, you should name him Bart Jr."

She grinned a little and shook her head, "that is absolutely not happening."

"Thank God. I mean he's a great kid and everything, but could you imagine having _two_ Bart's?"

"I don't _want_ to," she told him, grinning softly.

He grinned, too. "Maybe you'll have a girl and we'll have two Chloe's running around." His eyes were bright.

Chloe paused at that and grinned a little, shaking her head, "I don't know if that's any better for the rest of you."

"Well, you've always been pretty efficient at keeping us in line." He smiled. "But I personally wouldn't mind two of you."

"I don't know, you didn't know me when I was a kid." She pointed out, taking a bite of the potato salad.

"What, are you telling me Watchtower was a holy terror?" he teased, sipping his water.

"Not nearly as bad as her cousin," she smirked, "but I did have the habit of wandering off, exploring."

Oliver raised his eyebrows. "Should I order a GPS tracker?"

Chloe cocked her head and arched an eyebrow, considering, "might not be a bad idea."

He smirked at that. "Consider it done."

"Well, we do have a couple of years before the baby can walk, so we have time."

"Yeah, but how long until she's crawling?" He raised his eyebrows again. "I don't want to take any chances."

"She?" Chloe smirked, raising her eyebrows.

"Did I say she?"

Grinning, she nodded and sat back against her chair, "I guess I don't have to ask you what you think it is."

A small smile touched his mouth. "Subconscious guess, I suppose."

"I guess we'll see," she told him, smiling softly, "you have a fifty percent chance of being right."

Oliver gazed at her, nodding a little. "That's true."

"Maybe I should take bets," she smirked, picking up her water and sipping on it.

He chuckled. "Maybe. I'll put a hundred on a girl."

Chloe laughed softly, "you will win, just watch."

"I think we all win with this."

Her face softened and she nodded, smiling at him and sipping on her water again, she and the baby definitely won having Ollie and Bart around at least. There were few people as amazing as the two of them out there.


	10. Chapter 10

Oliver looked down at the tuxedo that he was wearing and smoothed a hand over the jacket. To say he was nervous about tonight was an understatement. Not nervous because he was worried something would go wrong. But nervous because each day he and Chloe were getting closer and despite the fact that he enjoyed and looked forward to spending time with her, warning bells were going off in his mind. Warning bells he was scared to acknowledge.

And tonight was definitely not the night to start paying attention to them. No, tonight he would continue doing what he had been doing--ignoring them completely. After all, some things went away if you ignored them long enough.

Right?

Shaking his head, he stepped off the elevator and slowly headed for Chloe's apartment, swallowing hard and doing his best to ignore just how quickly his own heart was beating.

That meant absolutely _nothing_ , he told himself.

And his hand certainly was not trembling as he reached out and knocked on her door.

"Come in," Chloe called, she had been sliding her earrings on when he knocked, she was already ready except for jewelry. She had wasted an awful lot of time trying to get her hair to curl up the way she wanted it and although it hadn't turned out as she expected, it had helped her be distracted enough to stop obsessing over the small bump she found on her dress every time she looked in the mirror. She could swear it hadn't been there just this past Sunday when she went shopping for the dress and while she didn't mind, she didn't want to start any rumors and make Oliver's life even more complicated.

She slid her bracelet on and picked up her necklace before making her way out of the bathroom and of the bedroom.

Oliver stepped inside the apartment and shut the door most of the way, smiling faintly as he saw that she'd started adding a few personal decorations to her apartment. He hoped that meant she was settling in and getting comfortable.

He turned as he heard footsteps, and he froze as his gaze fell on her.

She was draped in a sleeveless, emerald green ballgown, her hair slightly curled in an up-do. He swallowed hard as he stared at her with wide eyes. "Wow," he whispered. His heart was definitely beating more quickly in his chest now.

Chloe herself had problems moving when she saw him. She had seen Oliver in a tux before, but somehow, he looked even more amazing today. He looked absolutely perfect, like the tux had been sewed just to fit his body, which was probably not far from the truth. It lined his arms in a way that made her want to touch it just to feel the muscles she knew were hiding under it.

After taking in every inch of his body, she managed to blink and take a deep breath, "wow you too," she said, trying to make her voice light.

"You look..." Oliver shook his head a little as he took a couple steps towards her. "Stunning." _Like a Queen_ , he thought, holding his breath for a moment.

"So do you," Chloe admitted, stepping toward him without taking her eyes off of him.

He smiled, holding his hand out to her when they were standing only a few feet apart.

"Actually," she said, holding out the necklace she was going to wear to him, "do you mind? That clasp always gives me problems."

"Sure," he answered softly, moving closer to her and taking the necklace.

"Thank you," she told him quietly, smiling softly at him then turning her back to him and lowering her head to expose her neck so he wouldn't have problems with her hair.

Oliver swallowed hard, forcing himself to take a deep breath as he shifted closer, carefully draping the necklace around her neck, his fingers skimming lightly against her bare skin as he fastened the clasp.

She shivered a little at the light touch, holding her breath as something ran through her body, trying to tell herself it was just because his hands were cold.

He felt the spark, as well, and it took everything in his willpower not to press a kiss to her bare shoulder. "Done," he whispered.

Chloe swallowed hard and turned to face him, "thank you," she whispered back.

Oliver nodded slightly, gazing at her.

She brushed a hand over her necklace to make sure it was on correctly and smiled faintly at him, her heart skipping a beat at the look on his face.

He smiled back without hesitation, drawing in a breath and offering her his arm. "Shall we?"

Holding her breath, she nodded a little and dropped her hand, wrapping her arm around his.

* * *

Forty minutes later found them in the back of his limo, looking out at the crowd of reporters and photographers and people waiting to get into the benefit. "You ready for this?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

She took a deep breath and nodded, looking out the window for a moment then at him, "yeah," she said quietly.

Oliver gazed at her intently. She really was going above and beyond with this. "Thank you for coming with me." His voice was quiet.

"Thank you for inviting me," she said quietly, smiling at him as she held his gaze.

He smiled back, nodding. Then he drew in a breath, opening the door and climbing out. Immediately flashbulbs began to burst. He turned back to the limo, extending his hand to Chloe.

"Who'd he bring?" someone called out.

Chloe blinked a couple of times then smiled up at him and took his hand, stepping out of the limo after making sure her dress was in the right place.

Oliver smiled at her, his eyes bright as he helped her from the car and wound his arm around her waist. "Just relax. You look incredible," he murmured against her ear.

"Thank you," she told him, smiling up at him. Of course it was easier said than done with all the cameras flashing and the questions being screamed at. The other side was much more comfortable to be in, but she was trying her best to just relax and not close her eyes so she wouldn't look stupid on any of the pictures.

After a couple more moments, he pulled her just a little closer to him. "All right, that's enough of that." He guided her past the reporters, ignoring the questions that they yelled as they moved past them and into the building.

She took a deep breath once they made it into the ballroom, "well, they seem pretty curious about who I am," she told him, smirking a little as she kept close to his side.

"Well, yeah." He nodded a little. "It's been a long time since..." He paused, glancing at her.

"Since?" She whispered, looking up at him curiously.

"Since I've brought a date to one of these things," he admitted.

"Oh," her face softened and she smiled a little at him, "it's an honor, then."

Oliver relaxed when she smiled and he returned it. "Actually, I think the honor's all mine." He winked at her.

"I disagree," she told him, smiling, "and I think most people here would agree with me, Mr. Queen."

He smiled, shaking his head a little. "Only because they've never met Chloe Sullivan."

"Even if they did," she told him, "you're much more interesting than I am."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," he told her.

"Apparently you give me enough for both of us," she said, smiling softly.

"Well, someone has to." He smiled back, holding her gaze.

"Can't think of anyone better," she told him, holding his gaze back. She wasn't even sure what she was saying, but she meant it.

His expression softened at her words. "Come on," he said softly, reaching out for her hand.

She took his hand and slid her fingers through his, "you will have to give me the guidelines here, I've never been the host's date before."

"Well, mostly we just dance. Normally we'd drink, but I think that's off the menu." He grinned at her. "There might be polite small talk involved with some other pretentious jerks."

"Oh, I bet the small talk _would_ be a lot more fun with alcohol," she told him then smiled and squeezed his hand, "dancing sounds good, though."

Oliver nodded, guiding her onto the dance floor and slid an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "Been awhile," he said softly.

Chloe brushed her hands over his arms before resting them on his shoulders, "same here."

"Then I guess we're evenly matched," he said lightly.

"Seems to be the case in a lot of ways," she said, stepping a little closer and keeping her eyes on his.

He nodded very slightly, shifting closer to her, as well. "Yeah, I suppose it is," he murmured.

"Thank you for just welcoming me back like that, Ollie," she said sincerely, wrapping her arms around his neck as she moved even closer.

Oliver swallowed hard, holding her gaze. "You'll always be welcome with me," he said just as sincerely.

"I hope you know it goes both ways," she told him quietly, watching him closely.

A faint smile touched his mouth. "Good to know."

"I'm not sure why we didn't spend more time together before," she admitted quietly, her eyes on his face.

He was quiet for a moment, considering. "We had a lot going on," he said softly.

"We did," she whispered quietly, "we always seem to."

Oliver searched her eyes. "This is better, though."

"A lot better," she said quietly, "having each other for support makes things easier."

"Yes, it does," he whispered. "I'm not sure that I can say this enough, but I'm glad you're here, Chloe."

"Me too," she murmured, her eyes bright as they got a little teary, "coming to Star City was the best decision I've made in a long time."

His chest tightened a little and without thinking about it, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

Chloe shifted a little closer and tightened her arms around his neck, she wanted to do a lot more than that, but she was aware that most eyes in the room were watching him, watching them.

"You know, as much as I personally love the color green, seeing it on you is like seeing it for the first time." Oliver smiled softly.

She felt her cheeks getting warm as she glanced down at her dress then looking up at him, "I would say it was a coincidence that I picked the green dress, but I rather not lie unless it's necessary."

He smiled a bit more, nodding as he watched her. "It brings out your eyes."

Grinning shyly, she nodded a little, "thank you."

Oliver grinned back at her. "You're welcome."

* * *

The rest of the night went well, Chloe found herself comfortable enough to do small talk even when Oliver had to go off to talk to some of the donors. By the time the crowd thinned out enough for them to be able to leave, she was both starving and exhausted, but she felt good. Considering how much Oliver seemed to have been dreading the event, he seemed to have enjoyed himself quite a bit, so she was really glad she had agreed to going.

"Are you hungry?" She asked as they waited for the elevator to reach the floor to her apartment, her hand was in his, something she'd been getting used to, there was something comforting about holding his hand.

"I could eat," he said with a nod, a smile tugging at his mouth as he glanced at her sideways. "I take it Baby Sullivan is demanding food?"

"Constantly," she grinned softly, "I was just thinking of some cereal though, if you want to join me?"

Oliver grinned. "Absolutely. What kind of cereal do you have?"

"Cocoa puffs and lucky charms?" She told him, biting down on her bottom lip.

He chuckled involuntarily. "Lucky Charms. Haven't had those in awhile."

"They are my favorite," she admitted, "but I like mixing both so I get the chocolate milk _and_ the marshmallows."

Oliver cocked his head to the side at that. "Can't say I've ever tried that."

"First time for everything, right?" She said, stepping out of the elevator, "they do have the chocolate Lucky Charms, but they are not as good as mixing the two."

He followed her, still holding onto her hand. "I'll take your word on that." He smiled.

"Do you have the keys?" She asked, pausing outside her apartment. She hadn't bothered with them, or a purse really since he had keys to her place anyway and she didn't have a purse that matched her dress.

Oliver nodded, pulling the keys from his pocket and sliding the correct one into her doorlock, unlocking it and pushing the door open. "After you," he said softly.

Chloe smiled at him then walked in, turning on the lights then pausing and immediately reaching to take off her shoes, moaning a little as she pressed her feet flat to the floor, that was so much better.

His eyes widened a little at the sound of her moan and he swallowed hard even as his gut tightened.

Her back was to him, so she didn't notice the look on his face, "you have no idea how good that feels," she told him, pressing her toes against the floor and popping them.

Well it had certainly _sounded_ like it felt good, but he couldn't say that because he wasn't even sure he was capable of speech right then.

She frowned slightly at the silence and turned to look over her shoulder, "Ollie?" She asked, pausing when she saw the look on his face, and how dark his eyes were.

"Sorry. I uh--I guess I got lost in thought there for a minute. What did you say?" Yeah. Lost in thought, all right. A really _dirty_ thought.

"Nothing important," she murmured, watching him for a moment, her mouth dry, so she licked her lips then started to the kitchen, "what do you want to eat?"

"To eat?" he echoed, blinking, his heart beating quickly in his chest. "Oh. Uh, Lucky Charms, I guess?"

"I have toast too, you don't have to have the sugary cereals," she told him, smiling a little.

"We all need sugar sometimes."

"Some more than others," she grinned a little then opened the cabinet and pulled out both boxes then two bowls and the milk.

"Touche." He grinned at her.

She mixed both cereals in one bowl and filled one with only Lucky Charms for him then filled both with milk, "so what was your favorite kind when you were a kid?"

"Frosted Flakes," he told her with a small smile, sitting down at the table with his bowl of cereal.

"With strawberries?" She asked, sitting down next to him instead of across from him this time.

"No, just by themselves." He swallowed hard as she sat down so close to him.

"I always liked them with fruit," she told him, shrugging a little, "probably the only way dad could get me to eat fruit when I was little anyway."

He smiled at that. "You mean you weren't a holy terror _all_ the time?" he teased.

"I really wasn't," she admitted, "I talked a lot, but I usually only really got into trouble when Lo was around."

Oliver gazed at her. "So Lois initiated the trouble. Why am I not surprised?"

"It really shouldn't surprise you," she smiled, taking a bite of her cereal.

He grinned. "An angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Wait, are you the angel or am I the angel? Because there is no question which part Lois plays in this," she teased.

"Oh, it's definitely _you_ ," he assured her, his smile brightening a bit more.

"If you were talking about my shoulders, it could perfectly well be you," she pointed out, picking up her bowl and leaning back against her chair.

"Ah, yeah, but I was talking about mine." He winked at her.

She grinned softly and shook her head, "if I'm the angel, you're kind of screwed, Ollie."

"And you wouldn't be if _I_ was?" He raised his eyebrows. "You have met me, right?" He chuckled.

"I have," she grinned, "and I stand by my statement, you would just sweep in and rescue me in your green leather gear."

"Well, yes, if you needed me to." He smiled back at her. "But somehow I think you just might end up doing the saving."

"Only if you need me to," she told him, smiling softly, "this is why this works out so well, you see?"

"I think I like this arrangement." He gazed at her, his expression full of warmth.

"We save each others' asses?" She said, smiling a little more.

He grinned. "Well. They are very _fine_ asses."

Chloe laughed at that and set her now empty bowl down on the table, "I won't argue with that."

His grin brightened. "Good." He finished off his last bite of Lucky Charms.

She watched him for a moment then leaned back against her chair once more, "tonight was a lot more enjoyable than I expected."

"They're not normally that enjoyable," he told her.

"Company matters?" She said quietly, her eyes bright as she watched him closely.

"Makes all the difference in the world." He met her eyes.

"Thank you for inviting me," she said quietly, she had thanked him before but it did mean a lot to her that he had thought of her.

"Thank you for coming," he said just as quietly.

Chloe nodded a little and smiled softly at him, "anytime."

He grinned at that. "Careful there, Chloe," he teased.

"Why? Dressing up isn't so bad," she told him, grinning softly, "although the rumors might be bad if I show up obviously pregnant to one of those things."

Oliver shrugged, still grinning back at her. "Let 'em talk."

She raised her eyebrows and laughed a little, shaking her head, "can you imagine the headlines?"

He smirked. "I can, actually," he said, nodding. "Billionaire Boy Oliver Queen Knocks Up Gorgeous Blond."

Chloe arched an eyebrow and shook her head, "I doubt they'd be that generous."

"If they have eyes they would be." He winked at her.

"Another reason why I like being around you," she said quietly, "you will end up making my ego as big as yours."

He gazed at her intently. "I'm perfectly okay with that."

She looked at him for a moment then nodded a little and reached over and took his hand in hers, "you're a good friend, Ollie."

Oliver held his breath for a moment, looking down at their hands and giving hers a gentle squeeze. "So are you."

Chloe looked down at their hands too and nodded, it was almost two in the morning, but she really didn't want him to leave.

He smiled faintly, squeezing her hand once more before reluctantly letting go. "I'll clean these up." He winked at her as he rose to his feet, gathering their empty bowls and spoons and carrying them to the sink.

"You don't have to do that, Ollie," she told him, standing up too and following him to the kitchen.

"Hey, you fed me. It's only fair." There was a hint of teasing in his voice. "And I don't mind."

"You feed me all the time and you still don't let me do the dishes," she pointed out, walking over to the counter and putting away the cereal boxes.

He grinned. "What's your point?"

"You should allow me to pull my weight on this relationship too." She told him, turning to look at him and leaned her back against the counter next to the sink.

Oliver leaned over to her and kissed her forehead wordlessly.

Chloe paused and blinked, lifting her hand to his arm instinctively once he pulled closer, then turning to look at him, "what was that for?" She asked softly.

"Just because," he said softly, not pulling away from her.

She pursed her lips together and watched him for a moment then leaned closer and kissed his cheek softly, her heart beating fast as she pulled back to look at him, "I can too."

"Can too, what?" he murmured, searching her eyes.

"Kiss you," she said, "just because."

He held his breath, his gaze dropping to her mouth as he swallowed hard. "Yes, you can," he whispered.

She licked her lips unconsciously, her mouth suddenly dry, her heart skipping a beat as she watched him, "Ollie," she said quietly, wanting nothing more than to kiss him. 

Oliver's eyes darkened a little and he shifted closer to her, resting a hand gently on her hip. "Yeah?" 

Sighing softly, Chloe shifted closer and brushed her lips against his, unable to deny them that any longer, she'd been dreaming about kissing him and more night after night since they started becoming closer.

He returned the gentle pressure without hesitation, closing his eyes and lifting his other hand to cup her cheek. Chloe lifted her other hand to his arm too and shifted closer, leaning into his touch.

Oliver brushed his nose lightly against hers and then pressed his mouth a little more firmly to hers, his thumb stroking her cheek tenderly. Her chest was tight as she lowered her feet to the floor for a better angle and wrapped her arms around his back, pulling him closer but not rushing anything.

After a long moment, he slowly pulled away to look at her, his eyes even darker than before, a dazed expression on his face as he gazed at her. She blinked her eyes open and looked at him for a moment before brushing her nose softly against his but keeping her eyes on his.

Oliver smiled softly, his eyes bright as their eyes met.

Chloe smiled softly too and relaxed a little, a thousand of questions rushing through her head, but she pushed them away. She didn't want to think right now.


	11. Chapter 11

Oliver couldn't help but grin as he stood on his hands the next morning. He hadn't slept much the previous night, but he didn't care. Chloe had kissed him.

 _Really_ kissed him.

In fact, after she'd kissed him, they'd spent nearly a half hour in her kitchen with follow-up kisses. His chest felt warm in a way it never had before. Not with Tess, not even with Lois.

Maybe things were finally starting to look up.

There was a knock on his door and his smile brightened even more as he dropped his feet to the floor, grabbing a towel and drying off, then tugging his t-shirt on. He headed to the door, glad he'd already gotten the decaf coffee brewing for her.

"Good morning," he said as he opened the door, expecting to see Chloe.

"Oliver," Clark said, looking at him, his expression tense.

His smile slipped instantly into an expression of cool neutrality. "Clark."

"Where is Chloe?" He asked, stepping into the apartment without waiting for an invitation.

"Good to see you too, how've you been?" Oliver asked sarcastically, narrowing his eyes as the man moved inside his apartment.

"Where is she, Oliver? I know she's here."

He folded his arms across his chest. "I think if she wanted to see you, she would've called you, Clark."

"She wants to see you, why wouldn't she want to see me?"

"I'm sure she has her reasons," he said evenly. 

"Lois has been worried about her," Clark pointed out.

"She's been in contact with Lois," Oliver informed him.

"What is going on with you two, Oliver? Why are you hiding her?" He demanded, "are you going to try and ruin her life more than you already have?"

"Excuse me?" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "How exactly have _I_ ruined her life?"

"You _betrayed_ me! I could have stopped Davis before he took Jimmy's life."

Oliver flinched involuntarily, his jaw tightening. "You could have stopped Davis before he killed a whole lot of people if you'd just been willing to step up to the plate," he said harshly.

"Where is she, Oliver?" He asked again, "I have nothing to talk to _you_ about."

"You can get out, then," he responded, pointing to the door. "Because I'm not telling you a damn thing."

"I will find her," Clark promised, his jaw clenched as he started at Oliver before disappearing.

He glared in the direction Clark had taken off in, and rubbed a hand over his face warily. It would figure that the minute he was actually feeling _happy_ for the first time in years, Clark Kent would show up and ruin it. Sighing, he made his way toward the door and headed out it, making his way to the elevator. If Clark was going to linger around--which Oliver was fairly certain he would--Chloe needed a heads up. He tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator descended to the floor below his and he quickly headed out of it and to her door, knocking.

Chloe had just woken up when she heard the knock, she had been washing her face so she dried it and made her way to the living room, looking through the peep-hole just to make sure it was him, she smiled softly and opened the door, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, "hey."

He couldn't help but smile back at her. She just had that effect on him. "Good morning," he murmured. 

"Good morning," she told him, stepping aside to make room for him to come in.

He started to step inside, then paused, unable to resist dipping his head and kissing her softly on the mouth. Her stomach clenched instantly but she smiled against his lips and returned the kiss just as softly.

He pulled away a moment later, smiling back at her, then stepping inside the apartment with a sigh. "Clark's in the city."

She paused and blinked at the information, "what? Why?" That was the last thing she wanted and expected to hear.

Oliver turned to look at her. "He was looking for you," he said quietly.

"How does he know I'm here?" She asked, frowning.

"I have no idea," he admitted. "I told him I wasn't telling him anything."

Chloe sighed and shook her head, "thanks for letting me know."

"I guess it was inevitable," he said quietly.

"I guess so," she said quietly, "I'm sorry he bothered you."

He smiled a little at that. "It's okay," he told her, shaking his head.

"Must have been lovely first thing in the morning," she pointed out, "I'll call Lo later and figure out what happened."

"I was awake," he said with a shrug.

Chloe couldn't help but smile a little at that, "do you ever sleep? At all?"

"I was a little bit keyed up when I went to bed," Oliver admitted with a smirk.

Her face felt warm instantly and she grinned softly then shook her head, "I can't imagine why."

He grinned at her. "No?"

"Nope, I went straight to bed, slept like a rock," she told him, smirking.

He stepped closer to her, winding his arms around her waist, and raising his eyebrows. "Did you now?"

Pursing her lips together, she nodded and lifted her arms to rest on top of his, "yep."

"Well, that's good. You do need your rest, after all." He brushed his nose lightly over hers before kissing the corner of her mouth teasingly.

She turned her head and pressed her lips against his, squeezing his arms gently.

He slid one hand up to rest against the back of her neck as he kissed her back lightly. "You hungry?" he murmured.

"Yeah," she told him, leaning her head back against his hand as she looked up at him.

Oliver smiled softly at her. "What sounds good?"

Chloe pursed her lips together and thought for a second, "toast with cream cheese?"

"I can do that," he agreed, nodding.

"Oddly enough," she said, kissing the corner of his mouth, "I can too."

He grinned. "Are you sure? I mean, it _does_ involve a kitchen appliance..."

She smirked at that and nodded, arching her eyebrows, "I am. I've done it before. Maybe you can watch to make sure I'm doing it right?"

"I think I can handle that." He kissed her once more, softly, before reluctantly letting her go so she could fix something to eat.

Chloe pulled away but took his hand in hers and smiled softly up at him before dragging him with her to the kitchen, "do you want some?"

He smiled back, leaning against the counter a moment later. "Sure. Sounds good."

She nodded and pulled out the bread, placing a couple of slices in the toasted, "I have cream cheese, butter, peanut butter and jam."

He raised his eyebrows. "I think I'll stick with cream cheese."

"Okay," she told him, walking over to the fridge and pulling out the cream cheese and the strawberry jam.

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly, watching her, a soft smile touching his mouth. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Now? Really good, I woke up around five with morning sickness," she told him, turning to face him, it was so easy to just tell him things, mostly because she knew there was going to be absolutely no judgment from him, no matter what came out of her mouth.

He winced a little at that. "You know, if you ever want or need some company when you're not feeling well, you can always call me."  
Chloe smiled a little at that and nodded, "thank you, it's usually not bad, it comes really fast and then it's over, I went right back to bed. But I will keep that in mind."

"Good," he murmured, nodding.

She stepped closer to him and took his hand, holding her breath as she looked at their hands for a moment, she didn't want to complicate things and she didn't want to put more pressure in this, whatever it was, but she couldn't afford not to talk about things now and be sure they were both in the same place because she didn't want to lose Oliver, even if just as a friend.

"Should we... talk about this?" She asked quietly then turned her head up to look at him.

He met her eyes, lifting a hand to her cheek and brushing his thumb over her skin gently. "Probably."

Chloe leaned into his touch a little and let out her breath, "I guess I don't have to tell you my situation is more than a little complicated."

"I know, Chloe," he murmured, searching her eyes.

Pursing her lips together, she shrugged a little, "and it's a lot to deal with..."

He nodded slightly, watching her. "It is." He paused. "And honestly I'm obviously not the best choice you could make."

"Me?" She frowned, shaking her head a little, "I'm talking about you, Ollie."

He blinked. "Oh." He shook his head a little.

She swallowed hard and shook her head, "I come with a lot of strings," she said quietly, "and I completely understand if you don't think this is a good idea."

Oliver leaned in and kissed her forehead. "It doesn't bother me, Chloe."

Chloe shook her head a little, "but if this goes somewhere, Ollie..."

"If it goes somewhere, what?" he asked quietly.

"Then the baby will be a part of your life too." She whispered, holding her breath as she watched him.

"The baby's already a part of my life." He searched her eyes.

Her chest tightened and her eyes teared up a little, "are you sure?"

"Chloe." His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. He kissed the corner of her mouth tenderly. "I'm positive."

She sighed and brushed her lips against his then nodded a little, "okay," she answered in a whisper.

"Yeah?" He slid his arms around her.

"If you're sure," she nodded a little, wrapping her arms around him too and shifting closer.

"I am." He smiled, kissing her temple lightly.

Chloe sighed deeply and wrapped her arms tightly around him, "how can you be so amazing?"

Oliver closed his eyes as he held her. "I was just wondering the same thing about you."

She brushed her nose against his jaw then kissed it gently, her arms tightening around him.

He leaned his head against hers, tightening his arms around her just a little, as well. "What do you say we eat and go back to bed?" he murmured.

Pausing, she raised her eyebrows then nodded a little, "I think that's the best idea you could have had."

"Well, five hours of sleep isn't that much." He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.

"It's not," she agreed quietly, smiling, "especially if we will have to deal with Clark in the near future."

"Yeah, definitely not enough for that." He kissed her cheek and reluctantly pulled away.

Chloe pulled away too and turned back to the toaster, the toasts had popped a few moments ago, so she picked up two plates and a knife and started preparing them.

"What do you want to drink?" he asked, moving over to her fridge.

"Milk," she told him, picking up the plates when she was done and taking them to the table.

Nodding, he pulled out the gallon of milk, moving over and setting it on the table, then moving back into the kitchen to get two glasses.

"Thank you," she told him when he came back, smiling softly at him.

Oliver returned her smile, his eyes bright. "Welcome." He poured them each a glass of milk, then sat down beside her.

Chloe didn't hesitate before picking up a toast and starting on it, her stomach grumbling a little, she raised her eyebrows, "kid clearly has my patience already."

He grinned at that. "Now that's just scary," he teased.

"You're telling me," she smirked, sipping on her milk.

He winked at her, picking up his toast and taking a bite. "How long does the morning sickness usually last?" he asked curiously.

"You mean when it happens or how long during the pregnancy?" She asked, finishing her first toast already.

He paused at that, cocking his head to look at her. "Both, actually."

"Well, it pretty much comes, I get sick and it's over, it lasts maybe five minutes? And it's supposed to only last the first trimester, but some women have it the entire pregnancy."

He frowned at that. "Well, let's hope it's not that way for you." There was concern in his voice.

"I agree," she told him, raising an eyebrow, "although the doctor told me I don't seem to have it as bad as some of his patients so, hopefully it will get better in the next couple of weeks."

"Good." He leaned over and kissed her temple.

"And then I'll just be huge and gross," she told him, leaning closer and smiling softly at him.

" _You_ could never be gross," he informed her.

Chloe grinned softly at that and leaned over, kissing his cheek, "promise you'll keep saying that even if you believe otherwise?"

"I won't believe otherwise, but I will keep saying it," he promised.

She grinned softly and nodded at him, "thank you," she said, turning back to her toast.

Oliver watched her, his expression filled with warmth as he finished his own toast. Part of him wondered if he was still asleep and dreaming.

Once she was done with her food and milk, Chloe yawned involuntarily and nodded, "sleep is definitely a good idea."

"Do you want me to stay here or would you be more comfortable if I went back upstairs?"

"I wouldn't mind if you were comfortable with staying," she admitted.

He smiled, nodding. "I'm comfortable," he assured her.

Chloe picked up her milk and took one last sip of it before standing up and holding her hand out to him. Sure, things were moving a little fast, but sleeping on the same bed didn't mean anything else was going to happen, besides, both of them had obviously been alone for far too long.

Oliver slid his hand into hers without hesitation.

She smiled at him and looked down at his clothes, "are you comfortable enough?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Did some yoga earlier. They're comfortable clothes," he assured her.

Satisfied, she nodded and tugged on his hand, pulling him toward the master bedroom without hesitating, if Oliver's hugs were amazing, she could only imagine how comfortable he'd be to sleep with.


	12. Chapter 12

When Chloe started to wake up, she wasn't sure _why_ she was waking up. She was incredibly comfortable and warm and when she felt a body pressed against hers, she knew who it was instantly. His warm body seemed to fit with hers perfectly, his chest against her back, his legs pressed against hers, even his elbow bent under her pillow was comfortable.

But what took her a moment to notice was that his hand had found its way under her shirt, his fingers were spread out and his palm was pressed against the small bump on her stomach.

She couldn't help but smile and she slid her hand from his arm to rest over his hand, brushing her thumb against his softly.

He smiled, too, pressing a kiss against the back of her head. "Morning again," he murmured.

Chloe closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around his, smiling softly, "more like afternoon," she whispered, a glance at the clock had told her it was almost two.

Oliver closed his eyes once more, as well. "Well, apparently we needed it." He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept as well as he had when they'd gone back to bed.

"Yeah," she said quietly, turning her head toward him and brushing her cheek against his nose, "did you sleep okay?"

A smile tugged at his mouth. "Pardon the pun, but...like a baby." He kissed her cheek lightly. "Did you?"

She smiled and closed her eyes, nodding, "ditto."

"Good." He rested his head against hers, far too comfortable to move.

Chloe pulled her hand away from his hand and reached up to cup his cheek, also incredibly comfortable and with no intentions of moving anymore than that.

He smiled, moving his thumb lightly over her stomach and turning his head to kiss her palm.

She was surprised at how intimate yet comfortable this felt. Sure, they had a lot they had to do and to look into, Clark and the winged man and his blond sidekick, but that could wait a while longer.

"This is really nice," he whispered, opening his eyes to gaze at her.

"I agree," she whispered, shifting just slightly so she could look at him better and brushing her nose against his.

He kissed her softly on the mouth, slow and sweet, rubbing his nose against hers, as well.

Chloe smiled softly against his lips as she returned the kiss, her fingers brushing against his skin softly.

He reluctantly slid his hand up to cup her cheek as well, shifting just a little and deepening the kiss slowly.

She made a quiet noise as she shifted closer, her lips parting under his as she turned a little more, half laying on her back. Oliver slid his other arm around her, turning her so she was facing him, a smile on his mouth even as he teased her lips with his tongue lightly.

She wrapped her arm around him instantly and shifted closer once more, relaxing her mouth and brushing her nose against his softly.

A loud knocking on the door made him groan and rest his forehead against hers. "Figures," he grumbled.

Chloe stilled and sighed but kept her eyes closed for a second longer before looking at him without pulling away, "do you think it's him?"

"I hope not." He sighed softly. "I didn't think to dig out my kryptonite ring." He was only half-joking.

A moment later, however the door opened and Bart came into the apartment, "'Licious?" He called, looking around wide eyes, a pile of newspapers in his hands.

Oliver's eyes widened a little at the unexpected sound of Bart's voice. He raised his eyebrows and sat up reluctantly. "Bart?"

Chloe sat up too, her eyes wide as she pulled her shirt down, "coming!" She called, looking at Ollie.

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, then got out of the bed and headed for the door and down the hallway, practically colliding with the younger man. "What's wrong?"

Bart stilled when he saw Oliver and frowned but shook his head, he really didn't wanna know what they were doing, so he held up the paper instead, "you two are like, front page news nation-wide."

She was right behind Ollie, her eyes widening at Bart's words, " _what_?"

Oliver's gaze shifted to the paper he was holding up, a brightly colored picture of the two of them from the charity ball the night before decorated the front page of the Star City Gazette. They were dancing, both of them smiling as they gazed at one another. "That's a good picture," he commented.

Chloe shook her head a little, gazing at the paper then back at Bart, "I don't think a charity ball should be making front page news," she pointed out.

Bart swallowed and nodded, "yeah, someone had pictures not from the ball."

His eyebrows furrowed a little at that. "What are you talking about, Bart?"

He frowned and shuffled through the papers, "someone has pictures of you guys at the doctor's office and they are saying you're the dad." Bart said, not looking at them as he found the tabloid with the picture on the cover and held it toward them.

Oliver held his breath as he stared at the picture of the two of them on the sofa at the clinic, smiling at one another in that photo, as well. He glanced at Chloe to see her reaction to it.

She stilled, her eyes widening as her stomach dropped, "oh," she said quietly, turning to look at him to see his reaction too.

He gazed at her, then shrugged a little. "It was only a matter of time before people started thinking it was true," he said nonchalantly.

Chloe blew out a breath and nodded, looking back at the paper, "I know, but I guess now everyone knows about it."

He reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. "This might actually make it easier."

Pursing her lips together, she looked up at him, "how?" She asked quietly.

Bart shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the papers again, reading through them.

"Well, you won't have to worry about telling anyone," he said just as quietly.

"I guess so," she nodded a little.

"I can go talk to them?" Bart suggested.

"What would you say?" Oliver asked, glancing at him with raised eyebrows.

"Whatever you guys want me to?" He said, looking at Oliver, unsure.

Oliver turned to look at Chloe once more. "Whatever you want to do," he said softly. "We can sit tight and wait for them to come to us, or we can send Bart, or I can get on the phone and start making some phone calls."

Chloe nodded a little and stepped forward, "let us take a look at those and talk it over?" She asked Bart.

"Yeah, sure," Bart said, walking over to the coffee table and placing the pile over it, "you guys know where to find me." He told them before heading for the door.

"If you wanna go upstairs, there's plenty of food in the fridge," he told Bart.

"Thanks, man," Bart said before walking out the door.

Chloe watched him go then took a deep breath and made her way over to the phone. She was worried, but she was also starving, so she made a quick phone call and ordered pizza before turning to face him again.

He watched her intently. "Are you okay?" His voice was quiet, uncertain.

"I'm starving," she admitted, her face softening a little at the worry in his, "but yeah, I'm okay."

Oliver nodded a little, moving closer to her, searching her eyes.

She reached for his hand and pursed her lips together, "what should we do?" She asked quietly. 

He was quiet for a moment, and then he squeezed her hand. "I haven't changed my mind. You and this baby are already part of my life."

"Are you saying we should let them believe the news?" Chloe asked quietly, a lump in her throat as she watched him.

He raised his eyebrows. "I'm saying I'm okay with that, yes," he told her.

Chloe nodded slightly and cupped his cheek, searching his eyes, "I guess if we're going to be together and have a life outside of our apartments, they would believe that anyway, regardless of what we told them." 

He leaned into her touch instinctively, keeping his eyes on hers as he nodded slightly. "But what we tell the others...that's up to you," he whispered.

She sighed softly and nodded, "Lois already knows the truth, so does Bart. The only others I really care about are Vic and AC. Clark and Dinah can think whatever they want."

Oliver kissed her forehead, closing his eyes. "AC and Vic will be all right either way."

"I know," she said quietly, leaning into him, "I'm okay either way too," she admitted, closing her eyes.

He slid his arms around her gently, then rested his chin atop her head.

She wrapped her arms around him and sighed softly, relaxing again. 

"We'll be okay," he said quietly, rubbing her back.

"I know," she whispered quietly, "just having to deal with this sooner than I expected."

He nodded, drawing in a breath and letting it out slowly, sliding one hand up and threading into her hair. "Well, you don't have to do it alone."

Chloe held her breath and lifted her head to look at him, her chest tight, "I don't think I could ever tell you how much that means to me."

Oliver pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I already know."

Her arms tightened around him and she nodded, lifting her head and kissing him firmly. He kissed her back without hesitation, a soft groan escaping him. She paused at the noise he made, lifting a hand to the back of his neck and deepening the kiss.

He shifted closer to her instinctively, pulling her against him, one hand settling at her hip, one finger finding its way beneath her shirt and gently stroking her skin there.

Chloe shivered a little at the light touch, her hormones had been all over the place this past couple of weeks, any touch was enough to set her whole body on fire. 

He couldn't help but smile when she shivered and he slowly slid his whole hand under her shirt, resting it against her bare skin as he kissed her hungrily.

She moaned against his lips, resisting the urge to climb up his body and wrap her legs around him, wanting to be closer.

Oliver broke the kiss momentarily so they could catch their breaths, then he picked her up without really thinking about it, moving them to the sofa so she was sitting in his lap.

Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck and shifted as close to him as possible as soon as they were on the couch, her eyes dark as she looked down at him.

His own eyes were darker than normal, filled with desire as he gazed back at her. He brushed his nose lightly over hers before claiming her mouth in another kiss.

She returned it instantly, just as hungrily as before, her fingertips kneading his shoulders.

He groaned softly, his other hand sliding beneath her shirt, caressing her skin lightly, feeling the warmth of it beneath his hands. He shifted beneath her, his heart beating heavily in his chest.

Her back arched instantly at his touch as she pressed her stomach and chest against his, her own hands sliding over his arms and her fingertips sliding under his shirt as she squeezed his muscles against her palms.

"Chloe," he whispered, dropping his mouth to kiss her jaw, then kissing her neck.

She shivered again with a quiet moan in the back of her throat, since she and Oliver had gotten closer, she'd been having dreams about him, _this_ kind of dreams and so far, reality was so much better.

"What do you want?" he murmured, nibbling on her collarbone.

"You," she whispered, opening her eyes and pulling back enough to look at him.

Oliver held his breath for a moment, meeting her gaze and holding it. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she whispered, sliding her hands over his chest, "I've been dreaming about you."

His eyes darkened and he pressed a kiss to her earlobe. "Tell me about your dreams," he murmured.

She shivered, closing her eyes as her nails ran down his chest and stomach, "your body is so warm pressed against mine," she whispered, the vivid images alone making her body want him more.

He kissed her jaw again and slid a hand up into her hair.

She lowered her hands to his chest and lifted his shirt, moaning quietly when her hands touched his skin, "your mouth always feels amazing," she murmured, not fully aware of what she was saying, "and my body is always screaming for more."

He shuddered involuntarily, the combination of her hands on his bare skin and her words almost too much. He shifted slightly, tugging the shirt off over his head and discarding it to the floor. Then he picked her up, rising to his feet and heading for her bedroom.

Chloe wrapped her legs around him instantly, looking at him for a moment then moving her mouth to his cheek, running her lips over it, then his jaw and biting down gently on his skin.

Oliver groaned softly, kicking her bedroom door shut behind them. He carried her to the bed, laying her down gently and sliding his body over hers without hesitation.

She didn't move her legs from around him, the second he laid down on top of her, she tightened them on him, pulling him to her. Between her pajama shorts and his sweatpants, she could feel the effect she was having on him already and she groaned, closing her eyes.

He gazed down at her. "You are so beautiful," he murmured, lowering his head to kiss her neck once more. His tongue darted out, tasting her skin and he groaned, shifting just a little, sliding a hand under her shirt.

Shivering, she took a deep breath and licked his jaw then reached for her own shirt and started pulling it off, "need you, Ollie."

"Right here," he whispered, shifting to help her remove the shirt. He swallowed hard as he gazed down at her intently.

Chloe stared up at him, her heart pounding against her chest, her eyes dark, her face flustered.

He smiled softly at her, meeting her eyes and then kissing her mouth, brushing his nose over hers. She lowered her feet over the back of his legs, rubbing them against his muscles.

Oliver slowly kissed a path down to her chest, pressing tender kisses over her breasts and looking up at her.

Chloe moaned loudly, her back arching instantly, "sensitive," she whispered, "feels so good, Ollie."

He brushed his cheek lightly against her skin, turning his head and capturing a nipple in his mouth, twirling his tongue around it. He lifted his free hand to her other breast, kneading it gently, rubbing his thumb over the hardening peak.

She rubbed her feet over his legs and lifted her hips, rubbing up against him and moaning again as he pressed against her center even through their clothes.

He groaned softly, kissing his way farther down her body, pressing a tender kiss to her stomach and then rising up on his knees to look at her. He drew in a breath, laying his hands on the waistband of her pajama shorts.

Holding her breath, she dropped her legs to the bed and stared up at him.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly, holding her gaze.

"Yes," she said breathlessly, staring up at him.

Nodding, he slowly slid the shorts down off her hips and off her body, tossing them to the floor. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to each of her hips, keeping his eyes on her face.

"Ollie," she moaned, shaking her head, "you don't have to."

He paused. "You don't want me to?"

"Later," she whispered, "I want to feel you."

Oliver kissed her stomach once more, then shifted, stripping out of his sweat pants and boxers. He slid his body over hers, gazing down at her intently. "What's going to be most comfortable for you?" he murmured, kissing the corner of her mouth.

Chloe could feel the heat coming from his body all over hers and she shuddered a little, turning her head to look at him, "I'm comfortable."

"All right," he murmured, locking eyes with her once more as he eased her legs apart with his knee.

"Ollie?" She whispered, not moving, "are you.. clean?" She asked, embarrassed, she wasn't sure how she had managed to think, but she couldn't risk it.

He nodded slightly, watching her. "I am," he said softly. "And I haven't been with anyone since..." He drew in a breath. "Well, a really long time," he admitted.

She let out a breath and nodded, relaxing, "I had to make sure," she whispered, knowing he would never lie to her about that.

"It's okay. I understand," he assured her quietly.

Chloe leaned in and kissed his cheek before relaxing her body and parting her legs.

Oliver smiled at her, gently sliding a hand between her thighs and stroking her. She moaned, her eyes rolling back, she was more than ready for him already. He groaned a little at how ready she was, shifting and pressing himself against her entrance, sliding his chest over hers once more.

Chloe wrapped her arms around him and held her breath, bending her knees as she pressed her feet to the bed and held his gaze.

He sank into her slowly, leaning down and kissing her at the same time, until he was fully inside her, their bodies joined. He held himself in check, giving her time to adjust.

She moaned, her back arching as her body stretched for him. There was pressure, but it didn't hurt, instead, she felt whole.

Oliver gazed down at her. "You okay?" he murmured.

"Yes," she murmured, forcing her eyes open as she looked up at him, "you feel amazing."

"So do you," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her neck.

She shuddered, her back relaxing a little as she locked her legs around him, running one of her hands over his back and the other cupping his face. Now that he was inside of her, she didn't feel the desperate need anymore, she still wanted him just as much, but now that they were connected, they could take their time.

He held her gaze as they moved together slowly, his lips brushing lightly against hers, noses touching gently.

Chloe brushed her thumb against his cheek, her body responding to his even as they moved slowly together, her eyes on his.

Oliver kissed the corner of her mouth lightly, murmuring her name.

She shivered when he said her name, turning her head and kissing him slowly but deeply. 

"So beautiful," he whispered as he moved within her, returning her kiss without hesitation.

Chloe slid her fingers into his hair and wrapped her other arm tightly around him as they moved together, her chest was tight, her body was on fire and everything about him felt like a dream, except so much more vivid, so much better.

Within moments, they were hurtling toward the edge, and Oliver shifted slightly, slipping a hand between them and stroking her even as he thrust into her.

She'd been crying his name and moaning with every thrust, when he touched her, she gasped loudly, her body arching under his as she clung to him, she was so incredibly close, her body was starting to tremble. 

He watched her, fascinated by how responsive she was. He shifted slightly, sliding his free arm beneath her even as he continued to thrust inside her, adding a little more pressure to the little bundle of nerves at her core.

Chloe screamed out, her muscles trembling as she clung to him in every possible way. Her fingers tight around his hair as her other arm was still around his back, holding him to her as much as she could even as she pressed her head back against the mattress, her entire body convulsing as her orgasm hit her as hard as it had ever been.

Oliver buried his face against her neck, thrusting into her once, twice, then reaching his own climax as he groaned her name. Shuddering against her, he trailed kisses slowly up to her mouth, slanting his over hers and kissing her slowly.

"Ollie," she breathed against his lips before returning the kiss, still holding on to him.

After a long moment, he shifted, turning onto his side and pulling her close to him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, exhaling slowly as he shut his eyes, sliding a hand in her hair.

She kept her eyes closed as she tried to catch her breath then opened them slowly. She had heard sex during pregnancy was better because of the hormones and how sensitive your body was, but she had the feeling most of this had been just sex with Oliver and how amazing _he_ was.

"You all right?" he murmured, rubbing her back gently.

Chloe smiled softly and opened her eyes slowly, "mhmm," she murmured, leaning in and brushing her nose against his.

He smiled at that, kissing her softly and reaching down to pull the blankets up and around them.

She opened her eyes a little more and snuggled against him, "you're amazing," she whispered, resting her forehead against his.

"So are you," he murmured, brushing his nose against hers again and shifting, pulling her closer to him.

She pressed a kiss to his lips and sighed deeply, stilling when she heard the intercom and grinning, "food," she told him, "stay there."

Oliver raised his eyebrows. "Bossy, Professor," he responded with a smirk.

Chloe grinned at him and pulled away, picking up her shorts and his t-shirt before walking out of the room hurriedly.

He watched her go, grinning as he leaned back against the pillows.

She came back a moment later with the pizza, some napkins and a couple of water bottles, "we should eat in bed while we don't have to set the example," she told him, smirking down at him.

Oliver chuckled at that. "You realize of course, Bart will be around to set that example."

"Well, Bart won't be her parent," she told him, sitting down on the bed and setting the pizza on the bedside table.

"True." He nodded, and picked up a piece of the pizza and grabbed a napkin. "For the record, I don't generally eat in bed, so you won't have to worry about that one."

Chloe adjusted the pillows and sat back against them with a slice of her own, "maybe we need to change _your_ habits."

"You think so?" He raised his eyebrows as he looked over at her, taking a bite of pizza.

She nodded a little, "there is something to bringing food to bed, you know?" She said mischievously.

A smirk tugged at his mouth. "I could think of a few that might be...interesting."

Chloe arched her eyebrows and smirked back at him, "anything comes to mind?" She asked, taking a bite of her pizza as suggestively as possible.

Oliver groaned involuntarily, staring at her.

She laughed at the look on his face and smiled innocently, feeling more relaxed and more comfortable than she had in a long time, not to mention, so much happier.


	13. Chapter 13

A couple of weeks later found them arriving in Metropolis. Just the previous night, Lois had called, telling them she had spotted someone _flying_ over Metropolis and after a more detailed description, they had agreed it was probably the same winged man who had dropped Ollie off so unceremoniously into his apartment and who obviously knew at least his identity.

Chloe was still nervous about going back to the city, but the fact that Oliver was there with her made it a lot easier to handle, the fact that they were together and were a team in every sense of the word made it even easier. She was having a baby and she had a lot of responsibility to handle and a lot to figure out, but now she didn't have to do that on her own. She also didn't have to face anyone on her own. Not even Clark.

They had made it to the Clocktower a little before noon, Vic, AC and Bart had already made their way to the city the previous night and Vic had set up the system for her so she had been scanning the satellite images to try and figure out which direction the winged wonder had gone in after Lois saw him for the past half hour, "it looks like he was headed North, some of the images are hard to see."

"Who the hell is this guy?" Oliver shook her head a little. "He's not a villain unless he's going after other villains. And that doesn't really make a lot of sense."

"It doesn't," she agreed, frowning as she kept her eyes on the screen, "wait."

"What is it?" he asked, moving over to stand behind her. Without really thinking about it, he rested his hands lightly on her shoulders.

She leaned into his touch instinctively, "he landed on the rooftop here. This is where the old, old museum used to be, it shut down after a fire in the late sixties and the building has been theoretically abandoned since."

Oliver pursed his lips at that, gently massaging her neck and shoulders as he studied the screen. "Maybe not so abandoned."

"Doesn't look like it," she said, sighing and turning to look at him, "I'll keep the satellite on it, let's make sure that's where he is going."

He nodded slightly, glancing down at her and offering her a small smile. "Relax," he whispered, leaning down and kissing her softly.

She smiled at him and nodded, "give me a couple of seconds," she told him, turning back to the computer and typing quickly.

Oliver nodded, as well, watching her as she went back to work.

A second later, she pulled her hands away from the keyboard and blew out her breath, nodding a little as she turned to face him. "Okay, recording."

"You're good." He grinned.

"I have good equipment," she pointed out, arching her eyebrows.

"And amazing talent," he responded, raising his own eyebrows.

"Not that you're biased or anything," she smirked.

"Just because I'm biased doesn't mean it's not the truth anyway." He smirked back at her.

Chloe wrapped her arms around him and shrugged softly, "I could teach you how to do this, but I want you to remain impressed by my skills."

"I'd still be impressed," he informed her, kissing the corner of her mouth.

She brushed her lips against his and smiled, "I don't know if knowing you're easy to impress is good for my ego."

"I think we decided your ego needs to be bigger anyway," he reminded her.

"I think you already took care of that," she smirked.

"Did I now?" He grinned, kissing her again.

"You did," she smiled, brushing her nose against his, "you're amazing at it."

"Hm. Maybe I should take care of it again," he murmured, kissing her softly.

"I think you should," she whispered against his lips, "but now might not be the best time."

He sighed softly at that, nodding. "Right. Duty."

She laughed softly then shook her head, "actually, Lois. She's supposed to be coming by?" Chloe said, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh. That too." He smirked.

Nodding a little, she took a deep breath and glanced at the clock, "I can't wait to see her," she admitted quietly. She knew being away from her cousin had been her own choice, mostly because she didn't want to put Lois in danger in case Davis showed back up, but now that things were settled, she'd been missing her more and more.

"I know," he said quietly, squeezing her shoulders gently. "I have no doubt she's every bit as excited to see you."

"Well you could hear her on the phone last night, right?" She said, smiling a little as she remembered just how loud her cousin got when she told her they were coming in today.

"Trust me, my ears are still ringing," he said with a smirk.

Chloe grinned softly and nodded then took a deep breath, "I guess we should prepare ourselves for the fact that Clark might tag along."

He grimaced involuntarily. "I can hardly wait for _that_ reunion."

She sighed and nodded, "neither can I, but if Lois is around, he will probably be on his best behavior."

"If he's not, can I kick him out?"

"You can ask him to leave," Chloe agreed, "I don't see a point in either one of us putting up with his attitude."

He kissed her forehead. "Good." Because if there was one thing he wasn't in the mood to deal with, it was Clark Kent's holier-than-thou bullshit.

She wrapped her arms around him and nodded, closing her eyes, "we'll deal with him together."

"Sounds like a plan," he said quietly, hugging her back.

"I love you," she whispered quietly then stilled, completely unaware that the words were spoken out loud until she heard them herself, she'd been thinking it for a couple of days now, but she had had no intention of actually saying them yet.

His arms tightened around her just a little. "I love you, too," he said just as quietly.

Chloe swallowed hard and closed her eyes tightly as she hugged him to her, letting out a breath slowly.

"Kinda scary, isn't it?" he murmured.

"Yeah," she whispered, "I know it's soon, I didn't really realize I was saying it." She admitted, "even if I mean it."

He smiled faintly, pressing a kiss to her temple.

She relaxed a little and brushed her nose against his jaw, still hugging him tightly.

He started to say something else when the buzzer rang loudly. "I think your cousin's here."

With a deep breath, Chloe nodded and reluctantly pulled away from him, wincing as the buzzer rang again, "yeah, that's definitely Lois."

A smile tugged at his mouth. "Some things never change."

Chloe smiled a little at him and watched as he went to buzz her in, tugging on her shirt a little to make sure she looked decent.

"You look gorgeous," he informed her, glancing at her even as he buzzed the elevator up to the top floor.

She blinked and looked over at him, smiling softly, "see what I told you about the ego thing?"

Oliver flashed her an innocent grin. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Chloe walked up to him and pressed the video button on the communicator, making a face instantly, "well, there's our answer."

He groaned as he spotted Clark in the elevator beside Lois. "Great."

She pulled her hand away from the communicator and rubbed his arm, "just focus on Lois."

"Right." He sighed softly.

With a deep breath, Chloe leaned closer to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek before focusing on the elevator.

A second later, the elevator stopped and the grate was rolled up, revealing Lois and Clark there. Lois wasted no time in moving to her cousin's side, hugging her tightly. "Welcome back."

Chloe relaxed a little and wrapped her arms tightly around her cousin, holding on to her, "thanks, Lo." They had gone a year without seeing each other before, especially when they were little after she and her dad moved to Smallville, but this time, it felt like it had been longer.

"How are you? How are you feeling?" Lois pulled away to look at her, touching her hair. "You look incredible!"

She smiled, her eyes tearing up just slightly, "good, everything has been good," she told Lois, "you look great too," she said sincerely, "it's good to see you."

Lois hugged her again, tighter than before, but not enough to hurt. "It's good to see you, too," she whispered.

Even as Chloe returned the hug, she noticed Clark standing awkwardly a few feet behind her cousin. With a deep breath, she reluctantly pulled away, mostly because she didn't want to make Oliver feel like he had to do any small talk with the other man. "We should sit down," she offered, glancing at Clark but focusing on her cousin.

Lois nodded, taking her by the arm and moving them over toward the sofa.

Oliver rubbed the back of his neck. "You guys want anything to drink?"

"No, thank you," Clark said, speaking for the first time as he followed Chloe and Lois but didn't look at Oliver.

Chloe shook her head a little once she was sitting, leaving enough room on the opposite side of her so Oliver could join her and Lois on the couch, "I'm okay."

"I'm good for now," Lois told him, offering him a smile before turning her attention back to Chloe. "Tell me everything."

She shook her head a little and watched Lois, "you know everything there is to know already, Lo." Chloe said, glancing at Ollie and smiling softly at him before turning back to her cousin, "it's not like we haven't been talking."

"Yeah, well." She waved her hand a little, her smile brightening.

"The only news we have is that we seem to have managed to track down the winged man," Chloe told her.

At that, Clark, who had taken the armchair by the couch, sat up, "who is he?"

Oliver raised an eyebrow at him, but kept his voice calm. "Name's Carter Hall." He glanced at Chloe.

Chloe nodded at Oliver, then glanced at Clark, maybe talking business would make this last awkward, "not exactly one of the good guys, he was part of a group of people that got arrested a few years ago, organized crime of some sort, the records are unclear."

"But he's out there fighting criminals, even if he apparently doesn't like it when other people do the same." He shifted a little, resting a hand on Chloe's back.

"We'll be looking into it in the next couple of days to figure out the best way to approach him," Chloe told them, glancing at her cousin.

Clark frowned, "I'll go talk to him."

Oliver's eyes narrowed. "It's our case."

"It's my city." Clark said, eyes narrowing back at Oliver.

"Just because you burn your image into the nearest available surface every time you do something good doesn't mean you own the city, Clark." His voice was flat.

Chloe glanced at Lois then took a deep breath before looking at Clark, "we're dealing with him, this has nothing to do with you and if we wanted your help, we would have asked for it, Clark."

"Like you did last time?" Clark said tightly.

Oliver rose to his feet, his jaw tense. "You can get out."

Clark stood up too, his eyes still on Oliver, "c'mon, Lois." He said.

"Okay, knock it off. Both of you," Lois ordered, not moving from her seat. "This isn't some junior high pissing competition. Sit down."

"We should go, Lois." Clark said tightly.

Chloe glared at Clark, "if you can't behave yourself, you're free to leave, my cousin is staying."

Oliver glared at Clark, as well.

Lois narrowed her eyes at the two men. "Clark, I'm sure that Chloe and Ollie can handle this Carter Hall. If they need backup, they'll call. This isn't what we came here for."

"I'm not leaving you here." Clark said tightly, sitting back down then glaring at Oliver again.

She patted his knee lightly, ignoring his comment.

Chloe took a deep breath and reached for Ollie's hand, pulling him to sit down next to her again before looking over at Lois. "We can talk some other time if that will be more comfortable."

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly, squeezing her hand. He leaned in. "I could go for a walk," he said very quietly.

"No." Chloe said firmly, looking at him and tightening her grip on his hand.

He held her gaze, nodding slightly and falling silent.

She offered him a tiny, quick smile and linked her fingers with his before turning to Lois, "what did you want to talk about?" She asked her quietly.

"Anything," she said without hesitation, watching as Ollie shifted slightly on the sofa behind Chloe and rested his chin on her shoulder. A smile tugged at her mouth.

Chloe paused and smiled a little, leaning her head against Ollie's. She wished this wasn't awkward because she really missed being around her cousin, "how are things at the Planet?"

Clark's eyes narrowed a little as he watched Chloe and Oliver then he sighed, shaking his head and looking away.

"They're good. I wish you were still there," Lois admitted, watching her.

Oliver pressed a kiss to her temple.

She pursed her lips and shrugged a little at Lois, "I don't," she admitted quietly, "I like my line of work now."

He squeezed her hand just a little.

Lois held her cousin's gaze. "Looks like you belong where you are."

Chloe smiled a little at that and squeezed Ollie's hand back as she nodded at her cousin, "I feel like I do."

Clark sighed and shook her head, not looking at them.

Oliver didn't notice Clark's disgust, and he slid his free arm around her, resting his hand against her stomach.

Without thinking about it, Chloe placed her free hand on top of his and leaned against his side a little more, "how is everything else?"

Clark's eyes narrowed a little when he noticed what Oliver was doing. He had heard about the baby, of course, everyone had.

"Good," Lois assured her. "How's everything else when you guys?" She raised her eyebrows.

"It's been good," Chloe told her quietly, "other than this one mission, things have been quiet."

"Are you getting married?" Clark asked bluntly.

Oliver blinked, then shifted his gaze to look at the younger man. "It's not something we've discussed at this point."

"Shouldn't you?" Clark said tightly, eyes narrowing again at Oliver.

"That's none of your business, Clark." Chloe told him, sitting up.

"Relax," he murmured, gently rubbing his thumb over her stomach. "When the time is right for the two of _us_ ," Oliver stressed, gazing at Clark. "We'll talk about it--between us."

Chloe sighed softly and leaned against Oliver again, her jaw tight as she looked at Clark.

"With the job you have her doing, she will never be relaxed, Oliver." Clark said.

" _Clark_ ," Lois admonished, narrowing her eyes at him.

Oliver narrowed his eyes at Clark. "What part of 'this is none of your business' did you not understand?"

"I'm trying to look out for her, something you don't seem too concerned about." Clark told him.

At that, Chloe saw red, "I don't _need_ you to look out for me, Clark. When I did, you decided to walk away, so now why don't we do us all a favor and _leave_ since that's what you're so damn good at!"

"Okay, I'm not going to have you upsetting her. She's pregnant, Clark." Lois narrowed her eyes at him, then turned to look at Chloe. "You and I can grab some dinner tomorrow?" she suggested, rising to her feet.

Chloe took a deep breath and nodded a little, glaring at Clark for a moment longer before looking at Lois, "yeah, I'll talk to you tomorrow." She said tightly.

She leaned down and hugged Chloe, kissing her cheek. "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow."

Hugging her cousin back, Chloe relaxed a little and nodded, "love you too," she told him quietly.

Clark shook his head and made his way to the elevator, pushing the gate open and waiting for Lois.

She shot him a look that clearly said that he was in _big_ trouble. "See you, Ollie," she said, patting his shoulder on her way past.

Chloe watched as the two of them got on the elevator and sighed deeply, shaking her head a little.

"I'm sorry," Oliver said quietly as the elevator began to descend.

"Me too," she said just as quietly, leaning into him once more, "I'll make sure she doesn't let him tag along anymore."

Oliver closed his eyes, sliding his other arm around her. "I love you." His voice was soft.

Chloe sighed softly and nodded, "I love you too," she whispered, kissing his cheek softly, "thank you for staying."

"Afraid you're not getting rid of me," he murmured, nuzzling her neck.

She shifted closer and placed both her legs over his lap, tightening her arms around him, "it's the last thing I want."

"Good," he whispered, kissing her softly.

Chloe kissed him back then pulled away and brushed her nose against his.

He reached up and tucked some hair behind her ear, rubbing his thumb lightly over her cheek. "Hungry?"

"Yeah," she said quietly, curling up against his side.

He kissed her again. "I'll make us something for lunch."

"No," Chloe sighed softly and tightened her arms around him, "stay here a little longer."

Oliver paused at that, then nodded, resting his head against hers.

"I didn't want to come back to Metropolis because of him," she whispered.

He tightened his arms around her. "I know," he whispered back, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Thank you for not judging me like I knew he would," she told him quietly, closing her eyes.

"You haven't done anything wrong to be judged for," he told her gently. "And he's the last person who has the right to judge anyone."

Chloe nodded a little, laying her head on his shoulder, "and you are the best person I could have chosen to be a part of our lives."

He smiled faintly, kissing her cheek. "You're the best thing that's ever come into my life."

She smiled slightly and relaxed, lifting her head and kissing his jaw, "ditto."


	14. Chapter 14

The room was relatively quiet as Oliver sat in a chair beside Chloe's bed, gazing down at the tiny infant currently sleeping contently in his arms. She was wrapped in a tiny, seafoam green blanket and she was possibly the most beautiful baby he'd ever seen.

Not that he was surprised. Chloe was her mother, after all.

Her light blond hair was the exact shade of her mom's. And he'd been more than a little surprised to see that her eyes were brown. Like _his_.

Anne Sullivan-Queen might not have been biologically his daughter, but he was going to make sure she was taken care of and protected as if she really was.

Oliver gently brushed his finger against her soft skin, watching as she yawned and then settled back down once more.

Chloe shifted a little on the bed, she'd ended up falling asleep again, the drugs they'd given her for the birth had made her even more tired than she already was. She turned her head a little and smiled softly at the sight of Oliver holding the baby. Holding _their_ daughter. Shifting some more, she turned toward them, her entire body complaining so she moved a little slower.

"How is she?" She whispered.

"She's perfect," he whispered back, looking up at her, his eyes filled with warmth. "Sleeping."

She smiled softly, looking down at the baby and nodding, watching her sleep for a second before looking at Ollie again, "how are you?"

"I'm great," he said honestly, holding her gaze for a moment. "How are you feeling?"

"A little out of it," she admitted, "but I'm good."

He smiled at her, nodding. "Do you need anything? Water or something?"

Chloe shook her head a little, "no, you shouldn't move, let her sleep."

Oliver nodded a little, gazing down at the baby once more, his expression softening even more. "She's beautiful," he whispered.

"She is," Chloe whispered, reaching out and touching the baby's head gently.

"Just like her mom."

She smiled and brushed her thumb over his arm, "how does it feel to be a dad?" She asked quietly.

"Amazing," he whispered, looking up at her. "More amazing than I ever imagined."

Chloe nodded a little, taking a deep breath as she relaxed on the bed, "I can't wait to take her home, to her room." She whispered.

"Doctors said it'll only be a couple of days. Which is good considering the entire League has planted themselves in the waiting room, including Big Bird." He smirked a little.

"They are here?" Chloe asked, raising her eyebrows a little.

Oliver nodded a little. Lois, of course, had been there all day, and spent most of the day in the room with them before going home to shower and sleep, promising to be back later. "Most of them got here while you were in labor, apparently."

"Have they seen her yet?" She asked quietly.

"No, there's a rule that only the parents and grandparents can be around her until we go home," he said softly.

Chloe frowned a little at that, "really?"

"Something about limited exposure to germs." He shrugged a little, kissing Anne's forehead softly. "They can see her through the nursery glass later. Maybe."

"She can't stay here with us?" Chloe asked, her eyes widening instantly.

"That's why I said maybe." He smiled up at her. "They recommend that we let the nurses take care of her while we try to get some sleep. Apparently we won't be getting much of that when we leave the hospital."

"Oh, well, we have the whole team to help us when we get back," she told him, "I don't want them to take her away."

"Me either," he admitted. "So we'll just kindly refuse the suggestion." He glanced up at her. "Do you want to hold her?"

Chloe relaxed a little and nodded, shifting to sit up slightly, "yeah."

Oliver smiled and carefully rose to his feet, shifting the infant into her mother's arms and pressing a kiss to Chloe's forehead.

She held her breath as she took the baby carefully into her arms, watching her closely and letting her breath out slowly as she settled Anne against her chest, "she's heavier than she looks."

"Don't tell her that. You'll give her a complex," he teased.

She smiled softly and glanced at him then shook her head, "she's beautiful."

"She is," he agreed softly, watching the two of them together.

"It's weird," Chloe said quietly, looking at the baby closely then at him, "but she kind of looks like you."

Oliver held his breath at that, then nodded a little. "I was afraid I was losing my mind."

She smiled and shook her head a little, "I see it too, her eyes are shaped like yours."

"And they're brown," he said quietly.

"They are?" Chloe asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

He smiled a bit, nodding. "Yeah."

She smiled too and brushed her fingers lightly over the baby's arm, "that's good."

Oliver sat down on the edge of the bed, resting a hand lightly on her knee. "Want something to eat or drink now?"

"I'll take some water," she told him, nodding a little.

Nodding, he moved over and picked up the pitcher of ice water by her bedside, pouring her a glass. He moved to her side once more, holding the cup out to her.

She paused and looked down at the baby, shifting her slightly, carefully, into one of her arms before taking the glass and sipping on the water, her mouth was dry.

Oliver gently stroked his fingers through her hair as he watched her. "I love you."

"I love you," she whispered, turning her head up to look at him after placing the empty glass over the bedside table.

He leaned down and kissed her softly, then kissed the baby's forehead.

Chloe leaned closer and brushed her nose against his temple, "we make a good family," she whispered.

"Yes, we do," he whispered.

"Thank you for making it complete." She said quietly, lifting her free hand and linking her fingers with his.

He gave her hand a squeeze. "Thank you for letting me," he said just as quietly.

She smiled softly, leaning a little closer and brushing her lips to his, "best decision I ever made."


End file.
